The Environmental and Food Unit is advancing a social implementation-oriented research and development program, the Environmental Plastics Research Complex (EPReC), with the aim of addressing the issue of plastics released into the environment.
As part of this program, a research group led by Professor Yuji Oshima (Professor Emeritus / Specially Appointed Academic Faculty Member, Faculty of Agriculture) has confirmed, using a model experimental system for investigating the effects of plastic pollution, that coastal woodlice (Ligia spp.) ingest expanded polystyrene (EPS), which may cause physiological changes in their digestive systems. Furthermore, although the overall diversity of the gut microbiota showed little change, there was a tendency for the relative abundance of certain archaeal groups involved in methane production and some DNA viruses to increase.
This study highlights the need to develop a more comprehensive, multifaceted understanding of the impacts of microplastics on marine ecosystems. Further advances in research in this field are expected to deepen our understanding of the effects of microplastics on organisms and, ultimately, on human health.
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