The fact that microplastics can also trigger evolutionary changes has been discovered for the first time by a group of scientists.
The experiment was carried out on severalgenerations of midges. They were exposed to microplastics at concentrations similar to those found in the environment. This initially caused 50% of the insects to die. Then changes in the development of the species began: over the course of three generations, the midges adapted to absorb the pollutant, so that there was no longer any difference with the control group in terms of survival. But at the same time, changes were recorded throughout their genome that can be interpreted as the reason for such incredibly rapid adaptation. For example, those genes that play a role in combating inflammation and oxidative stress—material imbalances in cells that impair repair and detoxification functions—have shown signs of evolutionary adaptation.
“The midges adapted very quickly tomicroplastics, but this is only partly good news,” notes study author Dr. Halina Binde Doria from LOEWE Center TBG and SBIK-F. — This may not reflect the situation in natural populations and ecosystems. There are many different factors to consider. The experimental situation may not show all the negative consequences of microplastics for survival or reproduction, for evolutionary fitness. For example, ingesting microplastic particles affects the absorption of nutrients in the intestines and can harm the body during periods when food is scarce. Adaptation to microplastics may also outweigh other important adaptations, such as control of mutation rates. Moreover, it is known that not all species can adapt as quickly as midges. For them, microplastics will have harmful effects in the long term.”
“Our study shows that microplastics inenvironment can change the evolutionary development of species, - concluded the head of the study Professor Markus Pfenninger - Even if it seems that there are no negative consequences in the short term, microplastics are an underestimated threat to all ecosystems. We now want to further investigate the genomic responses of chironomid midges to microplastics as an example, as they are well suited for these assays due to their high reproductive rate, ease of study in the lab, and available reference genome.”
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