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Quantification and Characterization of Microplastic Contamination in Pseudetroplus maculatus (Bloch,1795) and Villorita cyprinoides (Gray,1825) Collected from Vembanad Lake Kerala: Implications for Aquatic Ecosystems
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Researchers quantified and characterized microplastics found in the gut contents of Pseudetroplus species (cichlid fish) from freshwater habitats, documenting ingestion rates and polymer types to assess dietary exposure pathways in these commercially important fish.
Microplastics, smaller plastic particles less than 5mm in size, pose a significant threat to the environment and human health due to their widespread presence, persistence, and potential harm to living organisms. The extensive use of plastics in human life has led to the release of substantial quantities of microplastics into the environment, resulting in widespread pollution. Microplastics are detected in diverse aquatic environments, including freshwater lakes, rivers, and marine ecosystems. Once in aquatic ecosystems, microplastics can be ingested by a wide range of aquatic organisms, including zooplankton, shellfish, and fishes. This study investigated microplastic contamination in fish (Pseudetroplus maculatus) and clam (Villorita cyprinoides) samples collected from Vembanad Lake, a Ramsar wetland in southern India. Microplastics were identified in both species using stereo zoom microscopy and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), with fibers being the dominant type. The present study highlights the occurrence of MPs in 60-80% of analysed samples with fibers being the foremost type followed by fragments. The microplastic contamination was higher in clams compared to those in fish samples. MPs such as Fibers and fragments were extracted from both the species collected from the marine influenced and riverine influenced sites of Vembanad lake. Clams are considered as ecological indicators, henceforth, the comparatively higher MP load in clams stands indicative of microplastic pollution, alarmingly disrupting the food chain and posing risks to human consumption. The urgent need for investigating the sources and pathways of microplastic pollution is emphasised by observing the similarity in the type and shapes of microplastics in both fish and clams. FTIR analysis of the samples revealed MPs with polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon as the primary polymer types found in samples.
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