Microplastic migration and distribution in the terrestrial and aquatic environments: A threat to biotic safety

Abstract

Plastics production has been increasing over years, while their recycling rate is lower, resulting in huge amounts of microplastics (MP) accumulating in the environment. Although the environmental behaviors of MPs have been focused on in recent years, the migration, distribution and adverse effects of MPs in terrestrial and aquatic environments are still not systematically understood. In this review, based on the newest publications from the core database of the Web of Science, both the migration and distribution of MPs were summarized, as well as MPs transfer in biota and their biological effects were also focused on. Generally, the complicated and numerous pathways of MPs migration lead to their distribution throughout or nearly all environments on a global scale. However, the migration mechanisms of MPs with various sizes, shapes, and colors by physicochemical and biological processes, and the prediction models of MP migration and distribution, are deficient, despite these properties being highly related to MPs migration and bio-safety. Although MPs have already invaded microorganisms, plants, animals, and even human beings, the biological effects still need more study, so far as their sizes and shapes and also their composition and adsorption are concerned. Moreover, based on the highlights and deficiencies of current studies, further studies have also been proposed. This review aims to help people re-evaluate the uncertain behaviors of MPs in various environments, and could be helpful to fully understand their biological effects in different environmental conditions.

Keywords: Biota safe; Microplastic; Movement; Negative effects; Spatial pattern.