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A latest review on the application of microcosm model in environmental research

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Abstract

Microcosms are used experimentally to simulate ecosystems. This technology has received increasing attention and is widely used for environmental research. This review briefly introduces the origin and development of microcosm theory, summarizes classification and applications of microcosms across decades, and describes the advantages and limitations of microcosm technology in comparison with other methods. Finally, trends in the development of microcosm models are discussed.

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This is a review paper and based on the previous published papers. Table data was generated based on the papers cited and used in the review papers. Figures were redrawn and properly acknowledged.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFD0900902, 2018YFD0900905), and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (No. ZR2019MC011).

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  1. Marine College, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, Shandong, China

    Zhihan Cao, Ping Li & Zhi-Hua Li

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  1. Zhihan Cao
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Zhihua Li conceived the frame of the paper, Zhihan Cao wrote the manuscript, and Ping Li made the data figures and participated in writing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ping Li or Zhi-Hua Li.

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Highlights

• This paper summarizes the classification and the latest application fields of microcosm.

• Proposed an evaluation method for the stability of the microcosm.

• Prospects for the future development trend of microcosm.

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Cao, Z., Li, P. & Li, ZH. A latest review on the application of microcosm model in environmental research. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 60438–60447 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16424-7

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