CAIE IGCSE Biology 20.3.2 Effects of Non-biodegradable Plastics
Practise explaining how persistent plastic waste harms organisms and moves through aquatic and terrestrial food chains.
- Syllabus
- 2026–2028
- Course
- Biology 0610
Practise explaining how persistent plastic waste harms organisms and moves through aquatic and terrestrial food chains.
Phytoplankton are producers found in the ocean. Phytoplankton absorb microplastics into their cells.
Fig. 6.2 shows a shearwater bird.
Shearwater birds feed on fish in the ocean.

Fig. 6.2
Suggest how microplastics can end up in consumers such as shearwater birds.
any two from:
microplastics, can't breakdown / are non-biodegradable / can't be excreted ; (microplastic-containing) producers / phytoplankton, are eaten by fish (which are eaten by birds) ;
AVP ;