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Wang D, Xiong F, Wu L, Liu Z, Xu K, Huang J, Liu J, Ding Q, Zhang J, Pu Y, Sun R. A progress update on the biological effects of biodegradable microplastics on soil and ocean environment: A perfect substitute or new threat? Environ Res 2024; 252:118960. [PMID: 38636648 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Conventional plastics are inherently difficult to degrade, causing serious plastic pollution. With the development of society, biodegradable plastics (BPs) are considered as an alternative to traditional plastics. However, current research indicated that BPs do not undergo complete degradation in natural environments. Instead, they may convert into biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) at an accelerated rate, thereby posing a significant threat to environment. In this paper, the definition, application, distribution, degradation behaviors, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of BPs were reviewed. And the impacts of BMPs on soil and marine ecosystems, in terms of physicochemical property, nutrient cycling, microorganisms, plants and animals were comprehensively summarized. The effects of combined exposure of BMPs with other pollutants, and the mechanism of ecotoxicity induced by BMPs were also addressed. It was found that BMPs reduced pH, increased DOC content, and disrupted the nitrification of nitrogen cycle in soil ecosystem. The shoot dry weight, pod number and root growth of soil plants, and reproduction and body length of soil animals were inhibited by BMPs. Furthermore, the growth of marine plants, and locomotion, body length and survival of marine animals were suppressed by BMPs. Additionally, the ecotoxicity of combined exposure of BMPs with other pollutants has not been uniformly concluded. Exposure to BMPs induced several types of toxicity, including neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity and genotoxicity. The future calls for heightened attention towards the regulation of the degradation of BPs in the environment, and pursuit of interventions aimed at mitigating their ecotoxicity and potential health risks to human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daqin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Fei Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Lingjie Wu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Zhihui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Kai Xu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Jiawei Huang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Jinyan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Qin Ding
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Yuepu Pu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Rongli Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Labor and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
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2
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Yen LP, Yong CLX, Todd PA. The effect of coral colony morphology, coral surface condition, particle size, and seeding point on the trapping and deposition of microplastics. Sci Total Environ 2024; 921:171077. [PMID: 38382597 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Coral reefs are increasingly identified as microplastic sinks. Understanding the trapping and deposition effects on microplastics among coral colonies of different morphologies can help identify which corals and coral reefs are at higher risk of microplastic exposure. Here, we used a current-generating saltwater flume to explore microplastic trapping and deposition among branching coral, Pocillopora acuta, colonies with contrasting morphologies (open and compact), together with varying coral surface conditions (live, dead, and waxed), microplastic sizes (400 to 500 μm and 900 to 1000 μm), and seeding points (above-colony and mid-colony). Results revealed that more microplastics were trapped by, and deposited nearer to, compact colonies compared to those with a more open morphology-likely due to differences in flow dynamics. More of the larger microplastics were trapped, as were those introduced at the mid seeding point, but coral surface condition had no significant effect. These findings add to the growing evidence that corals are effective at trapping and facilitating deposition of microplastics. Branching corals with compact structures are potentially at high risk of microplastic pollution impact. We posit that coral composition, i.e. the relative abundance of compact branching colonies, will affect microplastic accumulation in natural reef environments. SYNOPSIS: This study demonstrates the effects of coral morphology on microplastic trapping and deposition, providing mechanistic insights into the factors that contribute to coral reefs acting as microplastic sinks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Peng Yen
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore
| | - Clara Lei Xin Yong
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore
| | - Peter A Todd
- Experimental Marine Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore.
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3
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Onay H, Karslı B, Minaz M, Dalgıç G. Seasonal monitoring of microplastic pollution in the Southeast Black Sea: An example of red mullet (Mullus barbatus) gastrointestinal tracts. Mar Pollut Bull 2023; 191:114886. [PMID: 37043931 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated seasonal presence of microplastic (MP) in gastrointestinal tracts of red mullet (Mullus barbatus) sampled from the Southeast Black Sea Region. A total of 335 MPs were detected in 120 individuals. While the most MP was observed in the winter and autumn seasons, quite few MPs were found in the summer and spring seasons. MP size did not show significant difference among seasons. While all of the MPs in the autumn and spring and most of the MPs in the winter were fiber-shaped, most of the MPs in the summer were fragments. The most observed MP color for all seasons was white. While polymer structures did not show much variation in spring and summer, six different polymers were determined for both autumn and winter. In general, less MPs were detected during fishing ban period (summer) and the characteristic properties of the detected MPs suggest a MP pollution in the region due to intense fishing activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Onay
- Faculty of Fisheries, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey
| | - Barış Karslı
- Faculty of Fisheries, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey
| | - Mert Minaz
- Faculty of Fisheries, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey.
| | - Göktuğ Dalgıç
- Faculty of Fisheries, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey
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Amini-Birami F, Keshavarzi B, Esmaeili HR, Moore F, Busquets R, Saemi-Komsari M, Zarei M, Zarandian A. Microplastics in aquatic species of Anzali wetland: An important freshwater biodiversity hotspot in Iran. Environ Pollut 2023; 330:121762. [PMID: 37142206 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Coastal wetlands are sensitive ecosystems that give habitat to large number of species. The extent of the impact of microplastic pollution in the aquatic system and humans is not known. In this study, the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) was assessed in 7 aquatic species from the Anzali Wetland (40 fish and 15 shrimp specimens), a listed wetland on the Montreux record. Specifically, the tissues analyzed were gastrointestinal (GI) tract, gills, skin, and muscles. The total frequency of MPs (all detected MPs in the GI tract, gill and skin samples) varied from 5.2 ± 4.2 MPs/specimen for Cobitis saniae to 20.8 ± 6.7 MPs/specimen for Abramis brama. Among all tissues studied, the GI tract of the Chelon saliens, a herbivorous demersal species, had the greatest level of MPs (13.6 ± 10 MPs/specimen). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between the abundance of MPs in different species, tissues, living domains and feeding habit types. The findings support that fish may uptake MPs through adherence in gills (respiration) in addition to ingestion. White/transparent and black/grey polyamide (PA) fibers were the most common type of MP which may be originated from municipal wastewater and intensive fishing activities. About 34% of the MPs were in the range of 250 μm-500 μm, and those >100 μm were not detected in muscles from the study fish. All species had unhealthy weight according to the Fulton's condition index (K). Positive relationships existed between biometric properties (total length and weight) of species and the total frequency of uptaken MPs, pointing to detrimental impact of MPs in the wetland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farideh Amini-Birami
- Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science, Shiraz University, 71454 Shiraz, Iran
| | - Behnam Keshavarzi
- Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science, Shiraz University, 71454 Shiraz, Iran; Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
| | - Hamid Reza Esmaeili
- Ichthyology and Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Zoology Section, Biology Department, School of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Farid Moore
- Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science, Shiraz University, 71454 Shiraz, Iran
| | - Rosa Busquets
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE, UK
| | - Maryam Saemi-Komsari
- Ichthyology and Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Zoology Section, Biology Department, School of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Zarei
- Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science, Shiraz University, 71454 Shiraz, Iran
| | - Ardavan Zarandian
- Research Center for Environment and Sustainable Development, RCESD, Department of Environment, Tehran, Iran
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Keerthika K, Padmavathy P, Rani V, Jeyashakila R, Aanand S, Kutty R, Tamilselvan R, Subash P. Microplastics accumulation in pelagic and benthic species along the Thoothukudi coast, South Tamil Nadu, India. Mar Pollut Bull 2023; 189:114735. [PMID: 36842282 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics contamination poses a serious threat to marine biota, so the current study was carried out to assess the incidence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of pelagic and benthic species collected from the six sampling sites along Thoothukudi region from January 2021 to December 2021. In the present study, benthic species (0.67 ± 0.14 MPs/indiv) showed a higher abundance of microplastics than pelagic species (0.53 ± 0.11 MPs/indiv). The dominance of microplastic shapes, sizes, colours and polymers found were comparable among both pelagic and benthic species, this being fibre (27.56% and 48.33%), 0.5-1mm (39.78% and 42.94%), blue (50% and 40.85%), and PE (46.24% and 48.18%), respectively. The present study showed that microplastics are ubiquitous in both habitats, which raises serious concerns for public health. Hence, measures focusing on reducing local emissions and plastic waste disposal should be implemented to control microplastic pollution in the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalaiselvan Keerthika
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Pandurengan Padmavathy
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Velu Rani
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Samraj Aanand
- Erode Bhavanisagar Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ranjeet Kutty
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, College of Fisheries, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean studies, Kochi, Kerala, India
| | - Rajarajan Tamilselvan
- Department of Fisheries Biology and Resource Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Palaniappan Subash
- Department of Fish Pathology and Health Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
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6
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Keerthika K, Padmavathy P, Rani V, Jeyashakila R, Aanand S, Kutty R. Spatial, seasonal and ecological risk assessment of microplastics in sediment and surface water along the Thoothukudi, south Tamil Nadu, south east India. Environ Monit Assess 2022; 194:820. [PMID: 36138235 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10468-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics are a widespread environmental contaminant that raises serious concern for aquatic organisms. Hence, the present study was conducted to investigate the spatial and seasonal variation of microplastics, their characteristics, polymer types and the risk assessment caused by the microplastics in six sampling sites along the Thoothukudi region. The average microplastic abundance ranged from 32 ± 26 to 232 ± 229 items/kg and 54 ± 41 to 619 ± 377 items/l in sediment and surface water, respectively, and they exhibited a significant spatial difference among the sampling sites. The microplastic abundance also showed a significant difference among the seasons with the monsoon significantly recording the highest mean microplastic abundance in sediment (160 ± 130 items/kg) and surface water (454 ± 374 items/l). In sediment and surface water, fragment (sediment: 52.72%, surface water: 40.89%), 0.5-1 mm (sediment: 43.96%, surface water: 31.11%) and blue-coloured (sediment: 52.33%, surface water: 41.85%) microplastics were dominant with no significant difference both spatially and seasonally. Polyethylene, the dominant polymer, was observed in both the sediment and surface water, accounting for about 47.58% and 49.83%, respectively, and it showed no significant difference among the selected sites. This signifies that they are homogenously distributed along the coast and further suggests that these particles persisted in the sediment and surface water for a longer period of time. The results of the polymer hazard index show that the sediment (PHI = 1181.63) and surface water (PHI = 1018.66) were severely contaminated (hazard level V) with microplastic polymers such as PE, PP, PS, PET and PA. It was also found that the degree of the microplastic contamination in sediment (PLI = 3.57) and surface water (PLI = 3.84) was lower (hazard level I). The overall risk index (RI) for sediment (253.48) and surface water (444.74) falls under the higher risk category. From the correlation analysis, a significantly positive relationship was observed between microplastics in sediment and surface water based on each classification (abundance, shape, size, colour and polymer). This suggests that microplastics rejoin the water column from the sediment through resuspension, which occurs due to the circulation, tides and sedimentation rate. This might be the reason for the higher microplastic abundance in the surface water than in the sediment. As a result, proper management measures to reduce plastic waste disposal in the marine environment should be implemented to lessen the effects of microplastics on marine biota and on public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalaiselvan Keerthika
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Pandurangan Padmavathy
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Velu Rani
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Robinson Jeyashakila
- Department of Fish Quality Assurance and Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Samraj Aanand
- Erode Bhavanisagar Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ranjeet Kutty
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, College of Fisheries, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi, Kerala, India
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Di Giannantonio M, Gambardella C, Miroglio R, Costa E, Sbrana F, Smerieri M, Carraro G, Utzeri R, Faimali M, Garaventa F. Ecotoxicity of Polyvinylidene Difluoride (PVDF) and Polylactic Acid (PLA) Microplastics in Marine Zooplankton. Toxics 2022; 10:toxics10080479. [PMID: 36006158 PMCID: PMC9416274 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10080479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the ecotoxicity of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics (MPs) in two marine zooplankton: the crustacean Artemia franciscana and the cnidarian Aurelia sp. (common jellyfish). To achieve this goal, (i) MP uptake, (ii) immobility, and (iii) behavior (swimming speed, pulsation mode) of crustacean larval stages and jellyfish ephyrae exposed to MPs concentrations (1, 10, 100 mg/L) were assessed for 24 h. Using traditional and novel techniques, i.e., epifluorescence microscopy and 3D holotomography (HT), PVDF and PLA MPs were found in the digestive systems of the crustaceans and in the gelatinous tissue of jellyfish. Immobility was not affected in either organism, while a significant behavioral alteration in terms of pulsation mode was found in jellyfish after exposure to both PVDF and PLA MPs. Moreover, PLA MPs exposure in jellyfish induced a toxic effect (EC50: 77.43 mg/L) on the behavioral response. This study provides new insights into PLA and PVDF toxicity with the potential for a large impact on the marine ecosystem, since jellyfish play a key role in the marine food chain. However, further investigations incorporating additional species belonging to other trophic levels are paramount to better understand and clarify the impact of such polymers at micro scale in the marine environment. These findings suggest that although PVDF and PLA have been recently proposed as innovative and, in the case of PLA, biodegradable polymers, their effects on marine biota should not be underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Di Giannantonio
- Early PostDoc Mobility Grant—Swiss National Science Foundation, 3000 Bern, Switzerland
- Correspondence: (M.D.G.); (C.G.); Tel.: +39-0106476429 (C.G.)
| | - Chiara Gambardella
- Institute for the Study of the Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.D.G.); (C.G.); Tel.: +39-0106476429 (C.G.)
| | - Roberta Miroglio
- Institute for the Study of the Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Elisa Costa
- Institute for the Study of the Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Sbrana
- Institute of Biophysics (CNR-IBF), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy
- Schaefer SEE srl, Via Luigi Einaudi 23, 45100 Rovigo, Italy
| | - Marco Smerieri
- Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (CNR-IMEM), National Research Council, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Giovanni Carraro
- Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (CNR-IMEM), National Research Council, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Roberto Utzeri
- Institute of Molecular Science and Technologies (CNR-SCITEC), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Marco Faimali
- Institute for the Study of the Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Garaventa
- Early PostDoc Mobility Grant—Swiss National Science Foundation, 3000 Bern, Switzerland
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Joyce H, Frias J, Kavanagh F, Lynch R, Pagter E, White J, Nash R. Plastics, prawns, and patterns: Microplastic loadings in Nephrops norvegicus and surrounding habitat in the North East Atlantic. Sci Total Environ 2022; 826:154036. [PMID: 35202687 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The presence of microplastics (MPs), a contaminant of emerging concern, has attracted increasing attention in commercially important seafood species such as Nephrops norvegicus. This species lend themselves well as bioindicators of environmental contamination owing to their availability, spatial and depth distribution, interactions with seafloor sediment and position in the ecosystem and food chain. This study assesses the abundance of MPs in N. norvegicus and in benthic sediments across six functional units in the North East Atlantic. Assessment of the relationship between MP abundance in N. norvegicus, their biological parameters and their surrounding environment was examined. Despite the lack of statistical significance, MP abundances, size, shape, and polymer type recorded in N. norvegicus mirrored those found in the surrounding environment samples. The three main polymers identified in both organisms and sediment were polystyrene, polyamide (nylons), and polypropylene. The level of MP contamination in N. norvegicus could be related to local sources, with relatively low abundances recorded in this study for the North East Atlantic in comparison to other regional studies. Furthermore, larger organisms contained a lower abundance of MPs, demonstrating no accumulation of MPs in N. norvegicus. Based on the results of this study, data on MP ingestion could be used to study trends in the amount and composition of litter ingested by marine animals towards fulfilling requirements of descriptor 10 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haleigh Joyce
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland.
| | - João Frias
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
| | - Fiona Kavanagh
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
| | - Rachel Lynch
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
| | - Elena Pagter
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
| | - Jonathan White
- Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Galway H91 R673, Ireland
| | - Róisín Nash
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
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9
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Kalaiselvan K, Pandurangan P, Velu R, Robinson J. Occurrence of microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of planktivorous fish from the Thoothukudi region. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2022; 29:44723-44731. [PMID: 35137319 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19033-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Planktivorous fish are easily susceptible to passive microplastic ingestion during their feeding behaviour and may be transferred along with the marine food web. Hence, the present study was conducted to assess the microplastics prevalence in the planktivorous fish (677 individuals) collected from 2 landing centres in the Thoothukudi, Gulf of Mannar region, South Tamil Nadu, India. The prevalence of microplastics was detected in 118 out of 677 individuals, with a mean abundance and percent occurrence of 1.22 ± 0.47 items/individual and 17%, respectively. The ingestion of microplastics in planktivorous fish was primarily due to their feeding habitat, in which they were prone to the accidental or passive intake of microplastics regardless of the fish's length and body weight. The microplastics abundance was significantly higher in Sardinella gibbosa (1.34 ± 0.56 items/individual), which might be due to their pelagic and planktivorous feeding habitat, highest filtration capacity, presence of closed gill rakers, and also due to the passive ingestion of microplastics as food items. Fibres, blue, and 1 to 2mmsized microplastics were predominant in the guts of Sardinella gibbosa, accounting for 95.74, 47.87, and 46.80%, respectively, whereas in Leiognathus lineolatus, fragments, black, and 1 to 2mmsized microplastics were highly prevalent with 62.96, 72.22, and 79.62%, respectively. The predominance of various shapes (fragments, fibres), sizes (1-2 mm), and colours (blue and black) of microplastics in the guts of fish was influenced by their passive ingestion, ingestion of contaminated planktonic prey, lack of selectivity of prey particles and their resemblance to plankton species. Polypropylene polymers predominated (96.77% and 95.23%) in both fish, followed by polystyrene (3.22% and 4.76%). Furthermore, this study provides baseline data and insists that there is a need for continuous monitoring of the distribution of microplastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keerthika Kalaiselvan
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Padmavathy Pandurangan
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Rani Velu
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Jeyashakila Robinson
- Department of Fish Quality Assurance and Management, Fisheries College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India
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10
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Carreras-Colom E, Cartes JE, Constenla M, Welden NA, Soler-Membrives A, Carrassón M. An affordable method for monitoring plastic fibre ingestion in Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758) and implementation on wide temporal and geographical scale comparisons. Sci Total Environ 2022; 810:152264. [PMID: 34902420 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Although the ingestion of plastics has been reported in a wide variety of organisms, there remains a lack of knowledge regarding the extent of spatial and temporal gradients and no consensus concerning the definition of monitor species for benthic marine environments. The present study aims at demonstrating the correlation between the presence of tangled balls of fibres and high levels of total plastic fibre ingestion in Nephrops norvegicus to assess the potential use of the prevalence of tangled balls as indicators of fibre pollution. To do so, the presence of plastics in stomach contents from several European populations of N. norvegicus is characterized in detail, including size distribution and polymer composition, and then its correlation with the prevalence of balls tested. Our results demonstrate that the prevalence of balls (>20%) is significantly correlated to higher levels of plastic ingestion, regardless of polymer composition and size distribution of ingested fibres. Plastic fibre ingestion levels across wide temporal and geographical scales are assessed using only the prevalence of balls, highlighting areas of increased fibre ingestion (e.g., the Gulf of Cadiz, N Barcelona) and areas of potentially lower fibre pollution (e.g., the Ebro Delta, the NW Iberian margin). Moreover, the relationship between the prevalence of balls and diet composition is analysed to discard a potential relationship with geographical differences in diet habits. Finally, we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the use of the prevalence of tangled balls of fibres as an affordable, cost-effective and easy to implement indicator of fibre pollution for monitoring purposes in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Carreras-Colom
- Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan E Cartes
- Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Psg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Constenla
- Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Natalie A Welden
- School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Glasgow, Dumfries DG1 4ZL, Scotland
| | - Anna Soler-Membrives
- Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maite Carrassón
- Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
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11
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Wang Q, Guan C, Han J, Chai M, Li R. Microplastics in China Sea: Analysis, status, source, and fate. Sci Total Environ 2022; 803:149887. [PMID: 34487899 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) in marine environments have raised increasing concerns worldwide in recent years. China is one of the largest plastic producers in the world. In this review, available information on MPs in China Sea was reviewed, including studies on seawater, sediment, and biota. The status and limits of sampling methods of MPs were summarized, such as sampling tools, sampling volume, and depth of sampling. The analytical methods of MPs were outlined, such as sieving, density separation, purification, filtration, and visual sorting. The characteristics of MPs, such as abundances, sizes, shapes, polymer types, sources, and fates were analyzed. The abundances of MPs in China Sea varied from 0.1 to 27,840.0 items m-3 in seawater, and from 13.0 to 14,712.0 items kg-1 d.w. in sediments. Furthermore, MPs were mainly featured with sizes ranging from 0.001 to 0.5 mm, with colors of transparent and black, and polymer types of polypropylene and polyethylene. To promote research on MPs in China Sea, the sampling and analytical methods were insufficiently standardized and should be improved. As for microplastic (MP) pollution in China Sea, laws and regulations have already been established to manage and control plastic waste. Furthermore, several suggestions to control plastic pollution were as follows: (1) control marine plastic pollution at the source; (2) strengthen technological innovations; (3) urge people to minimize disposable plastic products in their daily lives; (4) strengthen international cooperation in the treatment of marine plastic waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wang
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chunya Guan
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jie Han
- School of Science and Technology, The Open University of Hong Kong, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Minwei Chai
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ruili Li
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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12
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Pagter E, Nash R, Frias J, Kavanagh F. Assessing microplastic distribution within infaunal benthic communities in a coastal embayment. Sci Total Environ 2021; 791:148278. [PMID: 34126489 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Marine anthropogenic litter is increasing in prevalence in both the marine environment and its inhabitants. This study assesses the levels of anthropogenic microplastics in benthic infauna from 20 subtidal stations in Galway Bay, Ireland. Microplastics were removed from the organisms using an alkaline digestion (KOH) and their synthetic origin was confirmed by μFTIR spectroscopic analysis. The average number of microplastics recorded for all organisms was 0.79 ± 1.14 particles individual-1, similar to previously published results on subtidal fauna of the North Sea. Fibres were the dominant particle type (98%) and the majority were identified as natural (cellulose, cotton). Synthetic polymers identified included PVA (polyvinyl acetate), EPDM (synthetic rubber), PE (polyethylene) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Fibres less than 1 mm made up 55% of the recovered lengths. Colours recorded in the organisms were mainly blue and were reflective of the surrounding habitats. Of the five phyla collected, the highest incidence and uptake was associated with the Annelida. A significant difference in ingested MPs was only evident when depth (greater and less than 30 m) was considered as a factor. In addition, no significant differences were found between either the numbers of ingested MPs and phyla or feeding strategies. The results indicate that future studies should follow an ecosystem-based approach to monitor MPs levels in an area where specific bioindicator(s) have not been identified or are unsuitable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Pagter
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Old Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland.
| | - Róisín Nash
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Old Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
| | - João Frias
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Old Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
| | - Fiona Kavanagh
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Old Dublin Rd., Galway H91 T8NW, Ireland
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