We investigated the probability of copepod entanglement in microfibers in a laboratory experiment. This experiment was inspired by an accidental observation of entangled copepods with microfibers during isolating copepods for grazing experiments. The exposure of microfibers to copepods was designed by applying conditions similar to environmentally relevant concentrations of microfibers to zooplankton in the Yellow Sea as well as highly elevated concentrations of microfibers compared to the previously reported maximum natural concentration. Copepod entanglement in microfibers was reproduced in laboratory. The entanglement was not observed in the condition which simulated the environmental scenario of copepods outnumbering microfibers observed in the Yellow Sea, while it occurred inconsistently in the conditions of the maximum and 10-fold maximum natural concentrations of microfibers. However, consistent entanglement of copepods by microfibers was found in the 100-fold maximum environmental concentration of microfibers. These results suggest that copepod entanglement by microfibers can happen accidentally under the maximum natural concentration of microfibers occurring in the marine environment; however, copepods are likely to be entangled in microfibers consistently if copepods encounter highly enhanced concentration of microfibers.

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浮游动物会被海洋环境中的微纤维缠住吗？：实验室研究

我们在实验室实验中研究了桡足类在微纤维中缠结的可能性。该实验的灵感来自于在放牧实验中分离桡足类时偶然观察到的缠结的桡足类与微纤维。微纤维暴露于桡足类动物的设计是通过将与环境相关的微纤维浓度应用于黄海浮游动物以及与先前报道的最大天然浓度相比高度升高的微纤维浓度的条件来设计的。超细纤维中的桡足类缠结在实验室中重现。在模拟在黄海观察到的桡足类数量超过微纤维的环境情景的条件下，没有观察到纠缠，而它在微纤维的最大和 10 倍最大天然浓度的条件下发生不一致。然而，在微纤维的 100 倍最大环境浓度中发现了微纤维对桡足类的一致纠缠。这些结果表明，在海洋环境中微纤维的最大天然浓度下，微纤维对桡足类的缠结可能会偶然发生；然而，如果桡足类动物遇到高度增加的微纤维浓度，桡足类动物很可能会一直纠缠在微纤维中。这些结果表明，在海洋环境中微纤维的最大天然浓度下，微纤维对桡足类的缠结可能会偶然发生；然而，如果桡足类动物遇到高度增加的微纤维浓度，桡足类动物很可能会一直纠缠在微纤维中。这些结果表明，在海洋环境中微纤维的最大天然浓度下，微纤维对桡足类的缠结可能会偶然发生；然而，如果桡足类动物遇到高度增加的微纤维浓度，桡足类动物很可能会一直纠缠在微纤维中。