Aquatic Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Bromazepam exposure alters early development, behavior, and induces oxidative stress in zebrafish","authors":"Flavia Bernardo Chagas,&nbsp;Aline Pompermaier,&nbsp;Wagner Antonio Tamagno,&nbsp;Carla Alves,&nbsp;Suzana Fatima Bazoti,&nbsp;Arielle Cristina Fornari,&nbsp;Jennifer L. Freeman,&nbsp;Magali Kemmerich,&nbsp;Paulo Afonso Hartmann,&nbsp;Marilia Hartmann","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10328-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10328-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bromazepam (BMZ) is a pharmaceutical drug of the benzodiazepine (BZD) class, commonly prescribed for its sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, and muscle relaxant properties. This medication has a higher abuse potential than other BZDs due to its rapid onset of action, moderate liposolubility, and pronounced anxiolytic effect mediated by the positive modulation of GABA_A receptors. BMZ can be found in different aquatic matrices, mainly associated with sewage, industrial effluents, and surface waters, causing adverse effects on non-target species. Therefore, assessing whether BMZ causes biological effects at environmentally relevant concentrations in zebrafish, an important experimental model for the ecotoxicological assessment of pharmaceuticals, is crucial. Here, we assessed the effects of BMZ exposure during early development (3–120 hpf) at concentrations of 0, 7, 15 (a concentration detected in effluent samples), and 30 μg L⁻¹ on survival, hatching, spontaneous movement, heart rate, locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, anti-predatory response, and antioxidant enzyme activity (catalase and superoxide dismutase). Exposure to BMZ decreased spontaneous movement (<i>p</i> = 0.0123), increased heart rate (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001), altered locomotor behavior, and reduced the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, <i>p</i> = 0.0408; superoxide dismutase, <i>p</i> = 0.0109) compared to the control group in zebrafish larvae. In this study, we demonstrate that BMZ exposure impairs the early development of zebrafish, affecting physiological, behavioral, and biochemical parameters that may reduce individual fitness and compromise survival, growth, and predator escape, highlighting the ecological risks posed by BMZ residues in contaminated aquatic environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10452-026-10328-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148466215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coral disease prevalence, host susceptibility, and spatial patterns across inhabited and uninhabited atoll reefs in Lakshadweep","authors":"S. M. S. Krishnaveny,&nbsp;K. R. Sreenath,&nbsp;Alvin Anto,&nbsp;Aju K. Raju","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10330-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10330-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Coral diseases are major drivers of coral reef degradation that can hinder coral recovery following environmental disturbances. The Lakshadweep Islands, the only atoll reef system of India, have experienced multiple reef-health stressors, including recurrent thermal bleaching events, coastal development, domestic waste discharge, tourism-related activities, fishing pressure, sedimentation, and other lagoon-based human activities. However, quantitative information on coral disease prevalence, disease assemblages, and host susceptibility remains limited for this region. In the present study, coral disease prevalence was assessed at fifteen reef stations distributed across three regions representing different degrees of human influence: Kalpeni (inhabited), Sandbar (intermediate), and Cheriyam (uninhabited). Multiple coral diseases were observed across the surveyed reefs, with an overall coral disease prevalence of 22.99 ± 2.74%. Disease prevalence differed significantly among regions (p &lt; 0.05), with comparatively higher prevalence recorded in inhabited Kalpeni, suggesting the possible influence of local human-associated stressors. Eight diseases were recorded: black-band disease (BBD), tissue loss syndrome (TLS), pink-line syndrome (PLS), yellow-band disease (YBD), white syndrome (WS), irregular white plaque (IWP), white-band disease (WBD), and skeletal-eroding band (SEB). These diseases were observed in ten scleractinian genera. <i>Porites</i> was affected by six diseases, followed by <i>Pavona</i> (five) and <i>Favites</i> (three), indicating comparatively higher susceptibility than the remaining genera. TLS was most prominent in <i>Favites and Pavona</i>, whereas PLS primarily affected <i>Porites</i>. Disease prevalence showed a strong negative correlation with coral cover in the inhabited Kalpeni region (Pearson’s r = − 0.63, p &lt; 0.05), while coral diversity was positively correlated with disease prevalence across the three regions. This study provides key insights into coral disease assemblages in Lakshadweep and highlights the need for reef-health monitoring and region-specific conservation strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148466306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foraging mode and social behavior of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, in lava cave ponds in the Lake Mývatn area, NE-Iceland","authors":"Stefán Ó. Steingrímsson,&nbsp;Mark R. Roper,&nbsp;Camille A.-L. Leblanc,&nbsp;Gabrielle Ladurée,&nbsp;Bjarni K. Kristjánsson","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10327-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10327-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Individual variation in foraging and social behavior provides insights into how animals exploit and share local resources and habitats. In this study, we examined the foraging mode and social behavior for 55 Arctic charr (fork length = 5–17 cm) during summer in four freshwater lava cave ponds in the subarctic Lake Mývatn area in NE-Iceland. As expected for lentic waters, cave-living Arctic charr were highly mobile when searching for prey (mean proportion of mobile search = 0.748; SD = 0.251). Foraging attempts were mostly directed towards the water surface (mean proportion = 0.730; SD = 0.358), and rarely toward prey on the bottom (mean = 0.164; SD = 0.291) and in the water column (mean = 0.106; SD = 0.225). Although most fish foraged primarily on surface prey, with small subsidies from the other two locations, some individual fish fed almost exclusively on either benthos or prey in the water column. Aggression among fish suggests that size-related dominance hierarchies occur within the lava caves. Specifically, larger fish typically chased other fish more often than smaller fish did, whereas smaller fish were more likely to be chased. These findings add to our understanding of behaviors that may contribute to the survival and local adaptation of these unique populations of cave-living Arctic charr in North Iceland. The study also gives insights into the variable natural history of aquatic cave animals and expands the limited knowledge that exists on foraging mode and social behavior in salmonids in lentic waters.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10452-026-10327-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148465742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Small peatland lakes with or without trout: comparing their aquatic insects and insectivorous waterbirds","authors":"Mark H. Hancock,&nbsp;Anna Grozelier,&nbsp;Chris Bingham,&nbsp;Robert D. Hughes","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10324-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10324-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fishless lakes can be particularly valuable for aquatic insects and their avian predators. In Scotland’s Flow Country, a peatland World Heritage Site, abundant waterbodies support important waterbird populations. These include UK red-listed common scoters <i>Melanitta nigra</i>, which select lakes having low brown trout <i>Salmo trutta</i> populations. Scoters and four other invertivorous waterbird species have responded positively to trout population reductions. Here we investigated 10 small lakes, comparing four considered trout-free, to six with trout present. We surveyed waterbirds and adult mayflies, stoneflies, alderflies and caddisflies. We investigated whether these aquatic insects, and insectivorous waterbirds, were more abundant at trout-free lakes. Lakes were surveyed three times annually for five years. We collected insects by sweep-netting, and surveyed waterbirds using direct observations and camera traps. Across species, insect and waterbird counts tended (weakly) to be higher at trout-free lakes, but responses varied among species. Counts were better modelled including the interaction between species and trout status. This showed that trout-free lakes had higher counts of four insect species, including the nationally-scarce caddisflies <i>Limnephilus nigriceps</i> and <i>Molanna albicans</i>, and two waterbird species, including common scoters, which had counts 2.9 times higher at trout-free lakes (cls 1.2–6.8). One insect species was more common at trout lakes. Six key invertivorous waterbird species of the Flow Country protected site, analysed together, had counts 2.5 times higher (cls 1.1–6.1) at trout-free lakes than trout lakes. Our results support an increased focus on researching and conserving trout-free lakes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148465786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Asynchrony in the dynamics of chironomids across six locations in northeastern Iceland","authors":"Viktor F. Adalsteinsson,&nbsp;Árni Einarsson,&nbsp;Anthony R. Ives,&nbsp;Bjarni K. Kristjánsson,&nbsp;Sesselja G. Sigurdardóttir,&nbsp;Thorkell L. Thórarinsson","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10321-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10321-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Simultaneously studying population dynamics at multiple locations can provide insights into the ecological processes shaping changes in the abundances of species. Here, we examine 18-year time series of abundances of non-biting midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) from window trap samples at five lakes in northeastern Iceland: Miklavatn, Sílalækjarvatn, Skjálftavatn, Víkingavatn, and Mývatn. The largest lake, Mývatn, consists of two distinct basins which we treat as separate locations. Fluctuations in aggregate midge abundance show little correlation among locations, with even neighboring locations exhibiting asynchronous patterns. Such spatial asynchrony suggests that regional environmental forcing and interlake movement are insufficient to synchronize midge dynamics across sites. Instead, the observed patterns are consistent with the importance of lake-specific ecological processes, which may include differences in habitat structure, resource dynamics, species interactions, or local consumer-resource dynamics. Additional evidence for the importance of lake-specific processes is the cyclicity of the aggregate abundance of midge species found for all locations, which suggests that the dominant species are subject to strong internal processes that act separately at each location. The results have implications for conservation management of species such as insectivorous birds that can migrate between locations and take advantage of episodic, localized peaks in midge abundance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10452-026-10321-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148380368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unravelling the influence of food quality, larval density, and temperature in shaping chironomid head capsule size in rearing experiments: ecological implications and future research needs","authors":"Jeanne Salenbier,&nbsp;Peshmi Pabodha Balasooriya Vee Baddage,&nbsp;Tymoteusz Matera,&nbsp;Simon Belle","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10315-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10315-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Whereas phenotypic plasticity via body size variation is widely recognized as a common response to warming, other drivers and mechanisms influencing body size in aquatic invertebrates remain incompletely understood. Here, we used laboratory experiments on <i>Chironomus riparius</i> to disentangle the effects of temperature (20, 22, and 24 °C), food quality (eight food sources varying in quality), and intraspecific competition (high and low larval densities) on head capsule (HC) size across different larval instars. We found that both larval density and temperature influenced larval development time, with faster development observed at higher temperatures and lower densities. However, the expected temperature–size relationship (i.e., smaller HC at higher temperatures) was evident only under high-larval density conditions characterized by intense intraspecific competition for space and resources. These findings suggest that variation in development time alone does not fully explain the temperature–size relationship, and that density-dependent processes may also play an important role. In addition, variation in food source composition produced greater differences in chironomid HC size than the 4 °C temperature increase applied in our experiment, underscoring the importance of resource quality as a driver of HC size variability. We also found a strong positive correlation between HC length in third- and fourth-instar larvae, suggesting that third-instar HC measurements provide a reliable proxy for final HC size and that the effects of food quality and temperature are already apparent at earlier developmental stages. Overall, our findings suggest that widely reported large-scale shifts in aquatic invertebrate body size cannot be fully explained by temperature alone.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10452-026-10315-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148380388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of sediment type and habitat complexity on non-marine ostracods (Crustacea)","authors":"Okan Külköylüoğlu,&nbsp;Mehmet Yavuzatmaca,&nbsp;Alaettin Tuncer,&nbsp;Ahmet Altındağ","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10320-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10320-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To understand the relationship between sediment type and ostracod responses in complex habitats, 105 samples representing seven different habitat types were collected in August 2022 from Yozgat Province (Turkey). A total of 47 ostracod taxa were identified, 24 of which are new records for the province. Sediment type distribution differed significantly among the habitats (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). A significant negative correlation was found between elevation and the abundance of medium and coarse sand sediment types (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). There was also a significant positive correlation between the number of species and the substrate (medium sand) (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). However, multivariate regression models indicated that species richness was not significantly affected by sediment grain size or type (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). The 14 most common species tended to prefer habitats with high calcium content and medium to low water temperatures, ranging from very coarse sand (1–2 mm) to silt-mud (40–63 µm) sediment types. Increasing habitat complexity or the number of sampling sites did not lead to an increase in species richness. The occurrence of <i>Ilyocypris bradyi</i> varied significantly among habitats (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), while <i>Limnocythere inopinata</i> showed a significant negative association with muddy substrates. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) explained 84.7% of the variation in species-environment relationships, with pH emerging as the most influential variable (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) affecting the correlation between species and sediment types. The six most common species (<i>Heterocypris salina, H. incongruens, Ilyocypris bradyi, Cypridopsis vidua, L. inopinata, I. gibba</i>) accounted for over 73% of the variation among habitats and were frequently found in complex habitats. These results suggest that ostracod assemblages, their diversity, and habitat preferences are closely linked to sediment type and habitat complexity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148380827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nutrient adaptation strategies for Sonneratia apetala under habitat gradient in Jiulong River estuary","authors":"Yihao Li,&nbsp;Zhongyi Li,&nbsp;Dongbei Han,&nbsp;Wenzhi Cao,&nbsp;Shengchang Yang","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10323-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10323-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Stoichiometric studies offer crucial insights into plant adaptation under environmental gradients. This study aimed to examine how <i>Sonneratia apetala</i> mangroves in the Jiulong River estuary adjust their stoichiometric traits, leaf morphology, and water content in response to varying soil conditions across five sites with distinct salinity levels. We analyzed leaf characteristics (carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) contents, leaf width, aspect ratio, and water content) and soil properties (salinity, pH, N, and P) to assess their relationships. Key findings revealed: (1) Along the estuarine gradient (Jiulong River to Xiamen Bay), soil salinity increased while N and P availability declined, indicating a strong environmental shift. (2) <i>S. apetala</i> exhibited adaptive adjustments, including reduced leaf width and water content but increased leaf aspect ratio. (3) Despite stable leaf C content, N and P decreased (P more sharply than N), leading to an elevated nitrogen to phosphorus (N:P) ratio, suggesting persistent N limitation. (4) Statistical models confirmed that soil salinity was a key driver of leaf N and P variations. (5) Enhanced N uptake efficiency appears to be a critical strategy for <i>S. apetala</i> to cope with salinity stress. These findings highlight the species’ stoichiometric plasticity and adaptive mechanisms in dynamic estuarine environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148381061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Which fish species is more sensitive to toxic cyanobacteria, the native or the invasive one?","authors":"Xiaoying Huang,&nbsp;Yumei Xie,&nbsp;Xuexiu Chang,&nbsp;Hugh J. MacIsaac,&nbsp;Yuanwei Zhang,&nbsp;Xiaoai Wang,&nbsp;Xiaofu Pan,&nbsp;Qi Pu,&nbsp;Hongyan Zhang,&nbsp;Runbing Xu","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10322-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10322-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The restoration of endangered fish populations in eutrophic lakes can be challenging despite efforts to reduce nutrient levels, due to the potential toxicity caused by the harmful cyanobacterial blooms. We propose that the differential sensitivity to cyanobacterial bioactive substances may account for the distinct outcomes observed between the endangered <i>Sinocyclocheilus grahami</i> and the invasive <i>Pseudorasbora parva</i> in Lake Dianchi, a eutrophic and blooming lake of China. Following a 21-day exposure to <i>Microcystis aeruginosa</i> exudates (MaE), <i>S. grahami</i> exhibited more pronounced reductions in gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indices, accompanied by significant testicular and hepatic histopathological changes. Physiologically, MaE exposure resulted in a severer dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal–liver (HPGL) axis in <i>S. grahami</i>, as evidenced by a more substantial increase in steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) levels in the testes and elevated activity of cysteine-aspartic protease 3 (caspase-3), along with enzymes 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (17β-HSD1), aromatase (Cyp19a1a), and P450 11β hydroxylase (Cyp11b). In contrast, <i>P. parva</i> exhibited comparatively minor endocrine disruptions. Our findings indicate that MaE induced reproductive endocrine disruption through the HPGL axis, with the endemic <i>S. grahami</i> being considerably more susceptible than the invasive <i>P. parva</i>. This elucidates a physiological mechanism underlying the unsuccessful recovery of this native species and highlights the importance of avoiding the bloom period during the future re-introduction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148323888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plastics in mangrove ecosystems: a systematic review of distribution patterns and ecological implications, with focus on Ghana","authors":"Isaac Aninakwah,&nbsp;Simon Boateng,&nbsp;Enock Aninakwah,&nbsp;Kofi Adu-Boahen,&nbsp;Cynthia Anim,&nbsp;Ethel Gyimah,&nbsp;Evans Asamoah,&nbsp;Bakira Tahiru","doi":"10.1007/s10452-026-10318-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10452-026-10318-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plastic pollution has become a significant stressor in mangrove ecosystems, where complex root structures improve the trapping and retention of debris. Despite rising global attention, understanding of how plastics accumulate and affect mangrove systems remains geographically uneven. This study uses a systematic review guided by PRISMA 2020 to compile global evidence on plastic distribution patterns and ecological consequences, with a particular focus on Ghana and the West African region. A total of 2142 records were screened, of which 65 studies met the inclusion and quality criteria. Findings indicate that mangrove ecosystems consistently exhibit higher plastic loads than nearby coastal environments, with global macroplastic densities ranging from 0.15 to 1.05 items/m², while significantly higher localised densities of approximately 79 items/m² have been recorded in Ghana. Polyethylene and polypropylene were identified as the dominant polymers across regions, accounting for over 70% of the total plastic composition in most studies. Ecological impacts include disruption of seedling recruitment, alteration of sediment redox conditions, and ingestion by mangrove-associated fauna. Most studies remain concentrated in Asia and Latin America, while West Africa is significantly underrepresented and mainly characterised by cross-sectional research. Furthermore, management responses are implemented inconsistently and rarely evaluated quantitatively. This review emphasises the urgent need for standardised monitoring frameworks, longitudinal studies in African mangroves, and the integration of plastic mitigation strategies into mangrove conservation policies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8262,"journal":{"name":"Aquatic Ecology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148281868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}