Plastic pollution and marine mussels: Unravelling disparities in research efforts, biological effects and influences of global warming.

The ever-growing contamination of the environment by plastics is a major scientific and societal concern. Specifically, the study of microplastics (1 μm to 5 mm), nanoplastics (< 1 μm), and their leachates is a critical research area as they have the potential to cause detrimental effects, especially when they impact key ecological species. Marine mussels, as ecosystem engineers and filter feeders, are particularly vulnerable to this type of pollution.

The tolerance of a keystone ecosystem engineer to extreme heat stress is hampered by microplastic leachates.

Plastic pollution and ongoing climatic changes exert considerable pressure on coastal ecosystems. Unravelling the combined effects of these two threats is essential to management and conservation actions to reduce the overall environmental risks. We assessed the capacity of a coastal ecosystem engineer, the blue mussel , to cope with various levels of aerial heat stress (20, 25, 30 and 35°C) after an exposure to substances leached from beached and virgin low-density polyethylene pellets.

Potential marine benthic colonisers of offshore wind farms in the English channel: A functional trait-based approach.

Offshore wind farms (OWFs) have gained attention as a promising alternative to conventional energy sources. However, their installation and operation may have multiple ecological impacts on the marine environment, including the "reef effect". The reef effect is the colonisation of wind turbines and other artificial substrates by benthic organisms, which has a major impact on marine biodiversity as it changes community assemblages and ecosystem functioning.

Size-dependent response of the mussel collective behaviour to plastic leachates and predator cues.

Both individual and collective anti-predator behaviours are essential for the survival of many species. This is particularly true for ecosystem engineers such as intertidal mussels, which through their collective behaviour create novel habitats for a range of organisms and biodiversity hotspots. However, contaminants may disrupt these behaviours and consequently indirectly affect exposure to predation risk at the population level.

Microplastic leachates disrupt the chemotactic and chemokinetic behaviours of an ecosystem engineer (Mytilus edulis).

The massive contamination of the environment by plastics is an increasing global scientific and societal concern. Knowing whether and how these pollutants affect the behaviour of keystone species is essential to identify environmental risks effectively. Here, we focus on the effect of plastic leachates on the behavioural response of the common blue mussel Mytilus edulis, an ecosystem engineer responsible for the creation of biogenic structures that modify the environment and provide numerous ecosystem functions and services.