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Tissue-specific bioaccumulation of microplastics in the shallow water hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus
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Scientists found microplastics inside crabs living near underwater hot springs off Taiwan's coast—even in this extreme, hard-to-reach environment, plastic pollution from fishing gear and everyday consumer waste (like plastic bottles) is showing up in animal bodies, with the highest concentrations in their guts. This matters because these crabs are part of the ocean food web, and it shows that microplastics can infiltrate even remote ecosystems and accumulate in the digestive and filtering organs of seafood—a reminder that the plastic we use and discard doesn't just disappear, it ends up in the animals we may e
Persistent microplastic (MPs) pollution threatens even rare extreme environments, yet its extent in shallow-water hydrothermal vent (HV) ecosystems remains little characterized. This study documents tissue-specific MPs bioaccumulation in the sulfur-rich vent crab, Xenograpsus testudinatus . We investigated the frequency and features of MPs in 85 individuals and their habitat using transmission Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). MPs were detected in 76.47% of the crabs, with the highest burden in the midgut (45.56%) followed by the hepatopancreas and gills, indicating environmental transfer and clear internalization. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pearson correlation matrices revealed distinct, organ-specific accumulation patterns: a tightly correlated cluster linked fibers and red particles to ingestion routes in the midgut and hepatopancreas, while fragments segregated independently along a mechanical trapping vector in the gills. Chemical characterization identified polyurethane (PU) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as dominant polymer signatures detected within the sample pools, reflecting characteristics typically associated with local fishing gear and consumer waste. This is consistent with a direct anthropogenic input pathway into the vent community. The observed MPs accumulation establishes the high efficiency of direct environmental transfer into this benthic detritivore, thereby highlighting its potential role as a candidate indicator species for pollution at the base of this unique ecosystem. Although X. testudinatus exhibits resilience to localized extreme chemical conditions, the chronic internal accumulation of microplastics introduces a novel physical stressor whose long-term implications on individual fitness and broader trophic balance warrant further physiological investigation.
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Oceanic determinants of microplastic bioaccumulation in fauna of deep-sea hydrothermal vents: Comparative study of the southwestern Pacific and Indian Oceans
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Scientists found tiny plastic particles (microplastics) inside snails and mussels living near deep-sea hydrothermal vents—some of the most remote, extreme environments on Earth—showing that plastic pollution has spread even to places far from human activity. Since these vent creatures are part of ocean food webs, this raises questions about how microplastics move through marine ecosystems and, potentially, into seafood humans eat, though this study didn't directly test human health effects.
Pathological and biochemical effects of polyethylene microplastic exposure in hydrothermal vent crab, Xenograpsus testudinatus
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Researchers exposed hydrothermal vent crabs, which are adapted to extreme environments, to polyethylene microplastics and found that even these resilient animals suffered significant organ damage and oxidative stress. Higher microplastic concentrations caused severe damage to the liver-like organ and gills, and overwhelmed the crabs' antioxidant defenses. The finding that even organisms built to survive harsh conditions are vulnerable to microplastics underscores how pervasive the threat is to marine life.
Deep-sea snails and mussels in Indian and Pacific Oceans contain microplastics, study finds
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Scientists exploring deep-sea vents in the Indian and Pacific Oceans found tiny bits of plastic inside mussels and snails living thousands of feet below the surface, far from cities and coastlines. This matters because it shows plastic pollution has spread to even the most remote, untouched parts of the ocean, and since some of these creatures are part of the marine food chain (and occasionally end up on our plates), it raises questions about how far microplastics are traveling and what that could mean for the food we eat.
Occurrence and distribution characteristics of aged microplastics in the surface water, sediment, and crabs of the aquaculture pond in the Yangtze River Delta of China
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Researchers measured microplastic contamination in crab aquaculture ponds in China, finding particles in the water, sediment, and crab tissues. The crabs' intestines contained the most microplastics, followed by gills and liver, and contamination levels increased with body weight. Since these crabs are raised for human consumption, the study shows that farmed seafood can be a direct source of microplastic exposure for people.
Microplastic exposure and biological correlates in a key intertidal crab (Grapsus grapsus) from the Galápagos Islands
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Researchers quantified microplastics in the gills and gastrointestinal tracts of Sally Lightfoot crabs from the Galápagos Marine Reserve, finding particles in 78% of gill samples — higher loads and greater polymer diversity than gut tissue — and confirming that even this remote protected ecosystem is permeated by anthropogenic microdebris.
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