Global Meta-Analysis and Review of Microplastic in Marine Copepods

Plastic pollution has spread through all parts of the marine environment, representing a significant threat to species and ecosystems. This study investigates the role of copepods as widespread microplastic reservoirs in the marine environment, by performing, a systematic review, meta-analysis, and semiquantitative analysis of scientific articles focusing on the interaction between copepods and microplastics under field conditions. Our findings indicate that despite uniformly low ingestion of microplastics across different marine layers and geographical areas, with a slight uptake in neustonic copepods, copepods might constitute one of the largest marine microplastic reservoirs. This phenomenon is attributed more to their vast abundance than to average microplastic ingestion values. In this article, a framework for data analysis and reporting is proposed to facilitate future large-scale evaluations and modelling of their extent and impact on plastic and carbon cycles. These insights place copepods at the forefront of the marine plastic cycle, possibly affecting plastic distribution, and bioavailability, thereby opening new pathways for understanding the complex dynamics of microplastics in marine ecosystems.

The present study was partially funded by the project 6_ESMARES2_C8MED from the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), under the framework of the tasks ordered to the IEO by the Ministerio de Transición Ecológica y Reto Demográfico (MITERD) of the Spanish government for the application of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in Spanish waters. Valentina Fagiano is the recipient of a pre-doctoral fellowship (FPI-CAIB) co-financed by the Govern de les Illes Balears and the Fons Social Europeu. Montserrat Compa is the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship within the Margalida Comas program financed from the Direcció General de Política Universitària i Recerca of the Government of the Balearic Islands.

Peer reviewed