Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37372096›Full record

ArticleBiology2023

Functional Trait-Based Evidence of Microplastic Effects on Aquatic Species.

M Berlino, G Sarà, M C Mangano

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Global microplastic pollution at levels harmful to marine life.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Epigenetic and Gene Expression Responses ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

M BerlinoStazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Sicily Marine Centre, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo (Complesso Roosevelt), 90149 Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0539-7345
G SaràDipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, DiSTeM, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Ed. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy.
M C ManganoStazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Sicily Marine Centre, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo (Complesso Roosevelt), 90149 Palermo, Italy.

Funding

European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under the Marie Skłodow-ska-Curie no. 835589, MIRROR ProjectMinistry of Italian Research; MIUR PRIN-MAHRES - 2017MHHWBN_003
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microplastics represent an ever-increasing threat to aquatic organisms. We merged data from two global scale meta-analyses investigating the effect of microplastics on benthic organisms' and fishes' functional traits. Results were compared, allowing differences related to vertebrate and invertebrate habitat, life stage, trophic level, and experimental design to be explored. Functional traits of aquatic organisms were negatively affected. Metabolism, growth, and reproduction of benthic organisms were impacted, and fish behaviour was significantly affected. Responses differed by trophic level, suggesting negative effects on trophic interactions and energy transfer through the trophic web. The experimental design was found to have the most significant impact on results. As microplastics impact an organism's performance, this causes indirect repercussions further up the ecological hierarchy on the ecosystem's stability and functioning, and its associated goods and services are at risk. Standardized methods to generate salient targets and indicators are urgently needed to better inform policy makers and guide mitigation plans.

Indexed as

aquatic organismseffects sizefunctional traitsmeta-analysismicroplastics

Identifiers

PMID37372096
PMCPMC10294819

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.