Microfibers are the most prevalent microplastics in most terrestrial, freshwater, and marine biota as well as in human tissues and have been collected from environmental compartments across most ecosystems and species sampled worldwide. These materials, made of diverse compound types, range from semi-synthetic and treated natural fibers to synthetic microfibers. Microfibers expose organisms across diverse taxa to an array of chemicals, both from the manufacturing process and from environmental adsorption, with effects on organisms at subcellular to population levels. Untangling the physical versus chemical effects of these compounds on organisms is challenging and requires further investigations that tease apart these mechanisms. Understanding how physical and chemical exposures affect organisms is essential to improving strategies to minimize harm.

Contaminants are ubiquitous in the environment, often reaching aquatic systems. Combinations of forestry use pesticides have been detected in both water and aquatic organism tissue samples in coastal systems. Yet, most toxicological studies focus on the effects of these pesticides individually, at high doses, and over acute time periods, which, while key for establishing toxicity and safe limits, are rarely environmentally realistic. We examined chronic (90 days) exposure by the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria, to environmentally relevant concentrations of four pesticides registered for use in forestry (atrazine, 5 μg/L; hexazinone, 0.3 μg/L; indaziflam, 5 μg/L; and bifenthrin, 1.5 μg/g organic carbon (OC)). Pesticides were tested individually and in combination, except bifenthrin, which was tested only in combination with the other three. We measured shell growth and condition index every 30 days, as well as feeding rates, mortality, and chemical concentrations in tissue from a subset of clams at the end of the experiment to measure contaminant uptake. Indaziflam caused a high mortality rate (max. 36%), followed by atrazine (max. 27%), both individually as well as in combination with other pesticides. Additionally, indaziflam concentrations in tissue (61.70-152.56 ng/g) were higher than those of atrazine (26.48-48.56 ng/g), despite equal dosing concentrations, indicating higher tissue accumulation. Furthermore, clams exposed to indaziflam and hexazinone experienced reduced condition index and clearance rates individually and in combination with other compounds; however, the two combined did not result in significant mortality. These two compounds, even at environmentally relevant concentrations, affected a non-target organism and, in the case of the herbicide indaziflam, accumulated in clam tissue and appeared more toxic than other tested pesticides. These findings underscore the need for more comprehensive studies combining multiple compounds at relevant concentrations to understand their impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

The ecophysiology of marine ectotherms is regulated by the interaction of temperature with environmental drivers, such as dissolved oxygen (DO). The combination of low levels of DO and temperature in the ocean affects physiological and behavioral responses, especially in early life history traits of marine species. Here, we aimed to investigate the combined effect of ecologically relevant values of temperature and DO on female brooding behavior as well as on the early ontogeny of the Chilean kelp crabTaliepus dentatus. In a laboratory experiment, after acclimation and mating of females and males in constant temperatures (11 or 14°C), we exposed brooding females to 1 of 2 temperatures (11 or 14°C) and 1 of 2 DO levels (normoxia or cycling hypoxia). We tested the effects of these 4 treatments on embryo and larval sizes, embryo developmental time, female brooding behavior (i.e. embryo ventilation), larval hatching (i.e. number of hatched larvae), Zoea 1 survival to starvation, and swimming speed. We found a negative effect of temperature on the size of early embryos, but no interactions were detected in embryo size during development. High temperature and low DO increased female brooding behavior and larval size, reduced the number of hatched larvae, and affected larval swimming speed. Embryo development time and larval survival were negatively affected by temperature. These results suggest that an increasing frequency of hypoxic events, combined with ocean warming, might have important consequences on marine invertebrate brooders, affecting female fecundity, larval performance and, potentially, their dispersal ability even well within their optimal thermal range.

Sea star wasting syndrome (SSWS) has affected numerous species of sea star, with populations of Pycnopodia helianthoides (Brandt, 1835) left most at risk. As their populations are struggling to recover, it is important to gain a better understanding of the impacts that the multiple stressors in their habitats can have on their populations. Contaminant stressors in particular are of increasing importance, as aquatic organisms can be exposed to a dynamic range of contaminants from nearby anthropogenic activity that may affect their future recovery efforts. This study is the first to quantify the effects of contaminant stressors on the larvae of P. helianthoides. We exposed P. helianthoides larvae to the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid and polyester microfibers, both individually and in combination, at environmentally relevant concentrations (10 ng/L and 25 fibers/L, respectively) to measure the effects of these contaminants on their early life stages. Imidacloprid exposure resulted in stomach malformation in 10% of larvae and increased mortality during early development (p < 0.001), and all treatments resulted in increased larval lengths relative to controls (p < 0.001). During settlement, imidacloprid resulted in more rapid settlement responses than in the controls (p < 0.01). These findings highlight the need for further research investigating the effects of contaminant stressors to endangered organisms during reintroduction, as well as a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of pesticides to non-target organisms.

Neurodiversity has received considerable attention recently from the general population and academic researchers, coinciding with an increase in formal adult diagnoses and individuals self-identifying as neurodivergent. Many neurodivergent individuals, particularly academic trainees, have reported adverse experiences while participating in STEM fields, citing a lack of support and resources. Further, academic systems are based in a history of ableism which assumes and reinforces normative ways of productivity, speaking, and being within academic spaces. It is thus imperative that the field of biology moves towards more inclusive practices that rethink how to fully support and invest in neurodivergent members of the field, which generate a diversity of thought necessary to promote scientific discovery, and deserve full equity and inclusion in our field. During the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) 2026 meeting in Portland, Oregon, neurodivergent scientists of all levels (from undergraduate to tenured professors) met to discuss their experiences as neurodivergent researchers. We share our roundtable reflections here, conceptualized as neurodivergent perceptions and perspectives. We also offer strategies and resources for neurodivergent individuals to navigate academic spaces, and also suggestions for departments, instructors, advisors to create more inclusive classrooms and lab spaces.