We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastics associated to emerged aquatic insects highlight a potential pathway of environmental transport: a case study of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists found that mayflies, aquatic insects that spend part of their life in water and part flying on land, can carry tiny plastic particles with them when they emerge from ponds and rivers as adults. This matters because it reveals a previously overlooked way microplastics can travel from water into land ecosystems, potentially entering the diets of birds, bats, and other animals that eat these insects, and ultimately working their way further up the food chain, including to humans who eat those animals or fish. More research is needed to understand exactly how much plastic moves this way and what it means for our health, but this study shows the pathway exists.
Microplastics can move among terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric systems. However, the role of aquatic insects in transporting microplastics, and their potential contribution to cross-ecosystem transfer, remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the accumulation of three microplastic types (polyethylene (PE) fragments, tire wear particles (TWPs), and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibres) in the merolimnic mayfly Cloeon dipterum. Larvae were exposed to two microplastics concentrations (500 and 5000 particles/L), and microplastics associated with larvae and newly emerged adults were quantified and characterized. All three microplastic types were detected in larval digestates, indicating their association with the organisms in the aquatic environment; however, ingestion and surface adhesion could not be distinguished. PE fragments were the most abundant (16-49 particles per larva), followed by TWPs (3-9 particles per larva), and PAN fibres (≤2 particles per larva). Microplastics were also found in both the washing water of emerged adults (representing surface-adhered particles) and their digestates (representing ingested particles), demonstrating that particles remained adhered to and inside the organisms after metamorphosis. Particle size analysis revealed preferential retention of smaller PE fragments and TWPs during both ingestion and adhesion, with the median size of recovered particles being 30-57% and 24-42% smaller, respectively, than that of the particles introduced into the system. Exposure to PAN fibres at the higher concentration (5000 particles/L) significantly reduced the time to 50% emergence by one day, whereas none of the treatments affected adult fatty acid profiles. Overall, our findings demonstrated that all three tested microplastic types can be associated with emerged aquatic insects, highlighting a potential pathway for the biologically mediated redistribution of microplastics. Further studies are needed to identify the mechanisms governing microplastic retention and to disentangle the effects of particle characteristics, such as polymer type, size, and shape, on these processes and their ecological significance.
More Papers Like This
Up and away: ontogenic transference as a pathway for aerial dispersal of microplastics
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that microplastics ingested by aquatic invertebrates can be transferred to adult winged insects during metamorphosis and subsequently dispersed aerially, identifying ontogenic transference as a novel pathway for microplastic transport from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems.
Aquatic insects as mediator for microplastics pollution in a river ecosystem of Bangladesh
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that aquatic insects in a Malaysian river ecosystem ingest microplastics and can transport them across ecosystem boundaries as the insects emerge from water to land, functioning as biological vectors that move plastic contamination from aquatic to terrestrial food webs.
Developmental Transfer of Microplastic Particles from Larval to Adult Stages of the Drone Fly Eristalis tenax
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers discovered that microplastic particles consumed by drone fly larvae during their aquatic stage are retained and transferred into the adult flying stage after metamorphosis. This means that microplastics picked up in polluted water can be carried into terrestrial environments when the adult flies emerge and travel. The finding is significant because drone flies are important pollinators, and the transfer of microplastics through their life cycle represents a previously unknown pathway for plastic pollution to move between water and land ecosystems.
Ontogenetic transfer of microplastics in natural populations of malaria mosquitoes in Western Siberia
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how malaria-carrying mosquitoes in Western Siberia take up microplastics during their aquatic larval stage and carry them through metamorphosis into adulthood. Larvae accumulated millions of polystyrene particles within days, but the number dropped dramatically during each life stage transition, with only a few particles remaining in adult mosquitoes. The study confirms that flying insects can transfer waterborne microplastic pollution into terrestrial environments.
Review of mayflies (Insecta Ephemeroptera) as a bioindicator of heavy metals and microplastics in freshwater
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines how mayflies can serve as living indicators of heavy metal and microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems. Changes in mayfly populations, behavior, and body chemistry reflect contamination levels in rivers and streams. Since microplastics can carry heavy metals into waterways and up the food chain, monitoring these sensitive insects helps scientists track pollution that could ultimately affect human drinking water and food sources.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.