Microplastics: Their Effects on Amphibians and Reptiles-A Review

Abstract

Although microplastics provide much convenience to humans, they also pose a threat to the ecological environment on which humans depend. Microplastics persist in the environment and spread throughout the planet through the atmosphere, ocean currents, wind and animals, and it of different shapes and sizes can directly or indirectly affect organisms and pose health risks to animals and humans. Therefore, the size and types of microplastics and their effects on different organs of different types of animals were reviewed in this paper. However, we found that the health risks posed by microplastics to amphibians and reptiles remain unknown. Then, we reviewed the effects of microplastics on amphibians and reptiles, and most previous studies have focused on turtles and tadpoles; by comparison, few studies have been conducted on snakes, lizards and crocodiles. Although the extinction of some species has increased awareness of the need for conservation, there are still many gaps in research on the effects of microplastics on amphibians and reptiles. More research on the effects of microplastics on amphibians and reptiles is needed to to learn more about the potential effects and direct ongoing future conservation efforts. Finally, some constructive countermeasures are proposed to promote microplastics research in amphibians and reptiles.