20.500.12556/RUL-185639 Sex-dependent variations in the immune status of the terrestrial isopod Porcellio laevis (Crustacea, Isopoda) as a response to environmental perturbation a case of microplastic exposure in soil Sex-dependent variation in immune responses in arthropods is well established in cases of microbial infection or parasitism but remains less explored under environmental stress. In this study we examined whether the sex of terrestrial isopods Porcellio laevis affects their immune response to soil microplastic (MP) exposure. Animals were exposed for 14 days to polypropylene MPs at 0.05%, 0.5%, and 5% (w/w soil), and immune parameters, including total haemocyte count, haemocyte viability, phenoloxidase (PO)-like activity, and haemolymph protein content, were assessed alongside survival and growth. Overall, MP exposure induced sex-dependent alterations in immune status, with males and females exhibiting distinct response patterns: females exhibited reduced haemocyte-related parameters at specific MP concentrations, whereas males showed higher haemolymph protein levels and increased growth at the highest concentration. PO-like activity was consistently higher in females. Although not all responses were statistically significant, effect size analysis indicated medium to large sex-related differences across multiple endpoints. Most of the effects were related to the dose of MP, with changes detectable already at lower concentrations. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating sex as a biological factor in ecotoxicological studies and support the use of immune markers as sensitive indicators of sublethal environmental stress. isopods males and females immune status environmental stress izopodi samci in samice imunski status okoljski stres true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-08-14 11:04:45 2026-08-14 11:04:48 2026-08-15 04:01:48 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Str. 1-8 article 105705 Vol. 182 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 595.382 0145-305X 10.1016/j.dci.2026.105705 287616515 RAZ_Dolar_Andraz_2026.pdf RAZ_Dolar_Andraz_2026.pdf 1 88CA4ACDC910B9243B6953B8DD4E91D9 658c983d2a58db90ce26e61aa65cc7bbeb9e744897e4bd383af0b246d5a245d9 1764710b-97bf-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=244375 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145305X26001618?via%3Dihub 0 1f3bb42b-97bf-11f1-9b0d-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=244376 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0