Question: From my understanding, there has been a huge increase in the amount of microplastics in the ecosystems, but to what extent is it really impacting the wildlife in local areas?

Louise Thurston answered on 17 Feb 2026:

Microplastics are definitely, and measurably, impacting wildlife at local levels, especially in rivers, lakes, coastal areas, and even soils. Many animals ingest them, which can cause digestive blockages thus reducing feeding. Also, many plastics sorb other pollutants to them while also containing a wealth of chemical additives to give the plastics their desired properties. This can affect growth and reproduction through hormonal damages.
The severity does vary by location and species, but evidence shows they’re already disrupting some local food webs. For example, plankton and insect larvae eat microplastics reducing their growth and survival. Since those species are at the base of food webs, any decline or behavior change can ripple upward to fish, birds, and other predators.
Despite this, the range of long term effects are still being discovered!