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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Marine & Wildlife
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Multi-specific assessment of microplastic ingestion by Antarctic fish from the Ross Sea (Southern Ocean)
Environmental Pollution2025
2 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 58
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Laura Ciaralli,
Laura Ciaralli,
Laura Ciaralli,
Tommaso Valente,
Marco Matiddi,
Laura Ciaralli,
Tommaso Valente,
Marco Matiddi,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Laura Ciaralli,
Laura Ciaralli,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Tommaso Valente,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Tommaso Valente,
Giulio Careddu,
Giulio Careddu,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Edoardo Calizza
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Tommaso Valente,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Edoardo Calizza
Giulio Careddu,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Giulio Careddu,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Tommaso Valente,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Simona Sporta Caputi,
Simona Sporta Caputi,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Laura Ciaralli,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Marco Matiddi,
Laura Ciaralli,
Laura Ciaralli,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Marco Matiddi,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Marco Matiddi,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Giulio Careddu,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Eleonora Monfardini,
Roberta Zitelli,
Tommaso Valente,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Tommaso Valente,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Edoardo Calizza
Roberta Zitelli,
Loreto Rossi,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Loreto Rossi,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Loreto Rossi,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Maria Letizia Costantini,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Marco Matiddi,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Marco Matiddi,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Tommaso Valente,
Marco Matiddi,
Tommaso Valente,
Marco Matiddi,
Cecilia Silvestri,
Marco Matiddi,
Edoardo Calizza
Summary
Researchers examined 145 fish from seven species in Antarctica's Ross Sea and found microplastic contamination in about one-third of all individuals, including three species never previously tested. The study, one of the largest assessments of microplastic ingestion by Antarctic fish to date, found contamination across multiple important ecological locations. The findings demonstrate that microplastic pollution has reached even the most remote marine ecosystems on Earth.
Study Type
Environmental
Microplastics contaminate all places on Earth, including remote areas such as polar regions. To date, our knowledge on the impact of synthetic materials on the Antarctic ecosystems is still very limited. To the best of our knowledge and considering the number of individuals analyzed, this study provides the largest assessment currently available of microplastic ingestion by Antarctic fish, including the first evidence of microplastics occurrence in Chionodraco hamatus, Pagothenia borchgrevinki, and Trematomus newnesi. The analysis of 145 samples of seven different species from the Ross Sea (Southern Ocean) reveals diffuse contamination in three important locations such as Tethys Bay, Silverfish Bay, and Inexpressible Island. The overall frequency of microplastic ingestion (32.4 % of individuals examined) is similar to the averages estimated for non-polar marine environments on a global scale. In contrast, the average ± se number of microplastics per individual (0.53 ± 0.04) results to be lower. Differences in habitat use and feeding habits appear to underlie the different ingestion rates across species, with cryopelagic planktivores and demersal piscivores being more exposed to microplastics than benthopelagic planktivores and demersal benthivores. Furthermore, the microplastic ingestion rates detected in white-blooded species are higher than those found in red-blooded species. This evidence suggests that the physiology of these organisms may alter the detection of microplastic ingestion events, indicating that the low metabolic rates that characterize species lacking hemoglobin could determine an increase in the retention time of microplastics in internal organs, raising concern for the possible impacts of these contaminants on cold-adapted species.