Microplastics and nanoplastics: would they affect global biodiversity change?

Abstract

Micro(nano)plastics, new emerging contaminants, are ubiquitously found in the environment due to continuous release and accumulation. Widespread micro(nano)plastics can increase their exposure to organisms, pose threats to the ecological environment and human health, and potentially result in global biodiversity changes. Research has been started on micro(nano)plastics regarding their environmental distribution, contamination sources, and methods and technologies for analysis, as well as the environmental impacts and ecological effects on organisms ingesting micro(nano)plastics. However, limited information focused on the consequences of global biodiversity has been reported and the research approaches on biodiversity change caused by micro(nano)plastics are still seldom developed. Recently, researchers in environmental and ecological groups have begun to be conscious of the relationship between micro(nano)plastics and biodiversity. Even so, more efforts are needed to assess the impacts of micro(nano)plastics on this subject, as well as the interactions between organisms and micro(nano)plastics.