Microplastics Reduce the Growth of Exposed Marine Invertebrates: A Meta-Analysis
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Abstract
There is a need for a quantitative approach to ascertain whether microplastic pollutants functionally affect exposed organisms. This meta-analysis aimed to determine if microplastics reduce the mean growth of exposed aquatic invertebrates in the marine environment. Twelve studies investigating microplastic exposure were submitted to meta-analytic techniques to obtain the overall combined effect. The random effects model was used. Standardized mean difference in growth was reported as Hedges’ g value. The robustness of the data was confirmed through a leave-one-out method of sensitivity analysis. Results shown by forest plot suggested that overall, the samples exposed to microplastics had lesser mean length after the exposure period as compared to samples not treated with microplastics. Mean difference in growth was equal to -1.324, as given by standardized Hedges’ g. A sensitivity analysis using leave-one-out method further showed that the data were robust, confirming overall reduction in growth. Growth reduction could be attributed to the size-selective ingestion of microplastics by the organisms, whereby they ingest smaller microplastic particles more readily than larger ones. Ingestion and egestion of microplastic particles entail an energetic cost for organisms, consequently reducing energy devoted to growth. The findings showed that microplastics can negatively influence the growth and eventually the overall well-being of marine organisms.
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