Impact of Microplastics on Aquatic Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

The pollution of microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm), as a critical planetary boundary threat, has become a significant environmental concern globally due to its ubiquitous, persistent, complex, toxic, and ever-increasing nature. Microplastics are found in almost all abiotic (including aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric) and biotic (including plants, animals, and humans) ecosystem compartments on Earth. Microplastics, as well as the chemicals and microorganisms they carry in aquatic ecosystems, have the potential to affect water quality, elemental biogeochemical cycling, the health of aquatic organisms, food safety, and even the global climate. Therefore, it is necessary to summarize the studies of the impacts of microplastics on aquatic ecosystems (including the freshwater and marine ecosystems) to achieve a better understanding of the risk and an informed management strategy. The Special Issue of Water calls for papers presenting recent advances in the Impact of Microplastics on Aquatic Ecosystems including, but not limited to, the following topics:

• The pollution status, characteristics, and driving mechanisms of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems.
• The fate and degradability of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems.
• Impacts of microplastics on the plants, animals, and microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems.
• Impacts of microplastics on aquatic ecosystem functions and services.
• The risk assessment of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems.

Dr. Jian Liu
Dr. Changchao Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• microplastics
• aquatic ecosystems
• plastisphere
• microplastome
• ecosystem function
• risk assessment