About this Research Topic
There are large knowledge gaps in marine ecosystems including their ecological impact of microplastics, accumulation, and interactions with marine organisms, especially eukaryotic planktonic species and we are far from understanding the ecological consequences. A more holistic knowledge is needed to better understand the effect of microplastics on the responses of eukaryotic organisms. Therefore, the objectives of this Research Topic are:
1. To produce state of art information on impact of microplastics on ecological functioning of marine microbes.
2. To disseminate the impacts of microplastics on diversity and demography of marine eukaryotic microbes (protists, fungi, and zooplankton).
3. To provide information on implication of microplastics on prey-predator interactions.
This Research Topic calls for original and novel research articles on any of the following theme but are not limited to:
• Effect of microplastics on eco-physiology of various components of microbial loop.
• Effect of microplastics on fungi-plankton interaction.
• Direct and indirect impact of microplastics on prey selection by fish larvae.
• Occurrence of microplastics in relation to land driven effluent discharge.
• Effect of microplastics on functional and numerical response of Zooplankton feeding on autotrophic and heterotrophic protists.
• Effect of microplastics and plastic additives on the demography life history strategy of planktonic communities in marine, estuarine, coastal and riverine ecosystems.
Keywords: Microplastics, Ecosystem functioning, Eukaryotic microbes, Functional responses, Pseudosatiation, Entanglement, trophic transfer, Zooplankton, Microalgae, Fungi
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.