Life in the Anthropocene: microplastic pollution — impacts and challenges for bats
Competition
Competition for financial support for projects of junior basic researchers and postdocs — 2025
Main scientific field or thematic area
Biology
Title and abstract of the project
Life in the Anthropocene: microplastic pollution — impacts and challenges for bats
Human activity has become the dominant force shaping life on Earth, altering ecosystems on a scale unprecedented in geological history. Among the many anthropogenic stressors, microplastics stand out as one of the most persistent, widespread, and insidious pollutants. Microplastics are defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, which either arise from the degradation of larger plastic debris (secondary microplastics) or are deliberately manufactured in small sizes for industrial and domestic applications (primary microplastics), such as exfoliating beads in cosmetics, industrial abrasives, and micro-pellets in cleaning products. Over the past decade, research has demonstrated that microplastics are not confined to a single environment — they penetrate soils, freshwater and marine ecosystems, as well as the atmosphere. Once ingested or inhaled, microplastics can accumulate in tissues and organs, disrupt vital biological functions, and act as carriers of other pollutants and pathogens. Experimental and field studies across a wide range of taxa — from plankton and fish to birds and mammals — have linked microplastics to reduced growth and reproduction, feeding and locomotory impairments, inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, and alterations in immune responses. While microplastic contamination in marine ecosystems is relatively well documented, terrestrial systems remain poorly studied, and their bioindicator species are almost entirely unexplored. Bats (Chiroptera) are key bioindicators of ecosystem health owing to their ecological sensitivity, high mobility, and central role in trophic networks. Insectivorous bats are likely to be exposed to microplastics through several main pathways: by consuming insects that have accumulated microplastics within aquatic or terrestrial food webs, by ingesting contaminated water, or by inhaling airborne microfibres. Despite the high potential for exposure, systematic data for bat populations in Bulgaria and the Balkans are lacking. The present project will provide the first comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination in bats in Bulgaria. It will combine field collection of fresh guano samples with laboratory identification and characterisation of microplastics, alongside analyses of potential associations with physiological and immunological indicators. In addition, sampling of accumulated guano deposits from long-term bat roosts will be undertaken to reconstruct historical trends in microplastic pollution over recent decades. By integrating ecological, toxicological, and immunological approaches, the project will generate new knowledge on the pathways of exposure, distribution, and potential health impacts of microplastics in terrestrial bioindicator species, with wider implications for biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene.
Type of the planned research
Fundamental
Organization
National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Coordinator of the research team
Dr. Nia Toshkova
Tsar Osvoboditel 1 Blvd., Sofia
Team members
Dr. Stanimira Deleva
Dr. Violeta Zhelyazkova
Maxim Kolev
Kiril Vulkanov
Prof. Dr. Nikolay Nachev
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sevginar Feimova Ibryamova
Polina Todorova
Requested total budget for accomplishment of the project
30 677,51 euro
Description of expected results
The project will provide the first systematic data on the exposure of bats in Bulgaria to microplastics — a topic that has, to date, remained entirely unexplored in both national and regional contexts. Knowledge will be generated on the frequency, pathways, and intensity of exposure through the integrated analysis of diverse samples — guano, tissues, blood, and embryonic material. It is expected that correlations will be identified between the accumulation of microplastics and physiological parameters such as body condition, immunological and reproductive markers, as well as biochemical indicators of oxidative stress. In addition, by probing historical guano deposits, the project will reconstruct the dynamics of microplastic pollution over recent decades. This will offer a unique perspective on the scale and rate of accumulation of plastic pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems. Methodologically, the project will establish standardised protocols for the isolation and identification of microplastics from bats, which may also be applied to other terrestrial mammals.
Results achieved from the implementation of the project by stages
List of scientific publications related to the project, with links to the publications on the website of the journal in which they were published
Internet link to publicly available scientific data, where applicable
Other information related to the project, such as proposals for industrial or other socially beneficial applications of the results
Competition for financial support for projects of junior basic researchers and postdocs — 2025
Main scientific field or thematic area
Biology
Title and abstract of the project
Life in the Anthropocene: microplastic pollution — impacts and challenges for bats
Human activity has become the dominant force shaping life on Earth, altering ecosystems on a scale unprecedented in geological history. Among the many anthropogenic stressors, microplastics stand out as one of the most persistent, widespread, and insidious pollutants. Microplastics are defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, which either arise from the degradation of larger plastic debris (secondary microplastics) or are deliberately manufactured in small sizes for industrial and domestic applications (primary microplastics), such as exfoliating beads in cosmetics, industrial abrasives, and micro-pellets in cleaning products. Over the past decade, research has demonstrated that microplastics are not confined to a single environment — they penetrate soils, freshwater and marine ecosystems, as well as the atmosphere. Once ingested or inhaled, microplastics can accumulate in tissues and organs, disrupt vital biological functions, and act as carriers of other pollutants and pathogens. Experimental and field studies across a wide range of taxa — from plankton and fish to birds and mammals — have linked microplastics to reduced growth and reproduction, feeding and locomotory impairments, inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, and alterations in immune responses. While microplastic contamination in marine ecosystems is relatively well documented, terrestrial systems remain poorly studied, and their bioindicator species are almost entirely unexplored. Bats (Chiroptera) are key bioindicators of ecosystem health owing to their ecological sensitivity, high mobility, and central role in trophic networks. Insectivorous bats are likely to be exposed to microplastics through several main pathways: by consuming insects that have accumulated microplastics within aquatic or terrestrial food webs, by ingesting contaminated water, or by inhaling airborne microfibres. Despite the high potential for exposure, systematic data for bat populations in Bulgaria and the Balkans are lacking. The present project will provide the first comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination in bats in Bulgaria. It will combine field collection of fresh guano samples with laboratory identification and characterisation of microplastics, alongside analyses of potential associations with physiological and immunological indicators. In addition, sampling of accumulated guano deposits from long-term bat roosts will be undertaken to reconstruct historical trends in microplastic pollution over recent decades. By integrating ecological, toxicological, and immunological approaches, the project will generate new knowledge on the pathways of exposure, distribution, and potential health impacts of microplastics in terrestrial bioindicator species, with wider implications for biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene.
Type of the planned research
Fundamental
Organization
National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Coordinator of the research team
Dr. Nia Toshkova
Tsar Osvoboditel 1 Blvd., Sofia
Team members
Dr. Stanimira Deleva
Dr. Violeta Zhelyazkova
Maxim Kolev
Kiril Vulkanov
Prof. Dr. Nikolay Nachev
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sevginar Feimova Ibryamova
Polina Todorova
Requested total budget for accomplishment of the project
30 677,51 euro
Description of expected results
The project will provide the first systematic data on the exposure of bats in Bulgaria to microplastics — a topic that has, to date, remained entirely unexplored in both national and regional contexts. Knowledge will be generated on the frequency, pathways, and intensity of exposure through the integrated analysis of diverse samples — guano, tissues, blood, and embryonic material. It is expected that correlations will be identified between the accumulation of microplastics and physiological parameters such as body condition, immunological and reproductive markers, as well as biochemical indicators of oxidative stress. In addition, by probing historical guano deposits, the project will reconstruct the dynamics of microplastic pollution over recent decades. This will offer a unique perspective on the scale and rate of accumulation of plastic pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems. Methodologically, the project will establish standardised protocols for the isolation and identification of microplastics from bats, which may also be applied to other terrestrial mammals.
Results achieved from the implementation of the project by stages
List of scientific publications related to the project, with links to the publications on the website of the journal in which they were published
Internet link to publicly available scientific data, where applicable
Other information related to the project, such as proposals for industrial or other socially beneficial applications of the results