Effects of polyethylene-type microplastics on the growth and primary production of the freshwater phytoplankton species Scenedesmus armatus and Microcystis aeruginosa

Abstract

The ecological impacts of microplastic particles are primary environmental concerns. In this study, we selected three polyethylene particles (white, blue and fluorescent-blue microspheres, PE-MPs) and tested their effects on the growth and photosynthetic activity of the green algae Scenedesmus armatus and the cyanobacterium Micro-cystis aeruginosa after 28 days of exposure to 250, 500 and 1000 μg mL.