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Impact of Microplastic Exposure on Sand Crab Scopimera globosa Behavior: Implications for Microplastic Transport and Sulfur Cycling through Bioturbation
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This study found that microplastic exposure changed the burrowing behavior of sand crabs in estuaries, causing them to dig deeper and avoid contaminated surface sediments. This behavioral shift actually moved microplastics through sediment layers 27 times faster than without the crabs and disrupted important sulfur-cycling bacteria in the soil. The findings show how microplastics can indirectly affect coastal ecosystem processes by altering the behavior of the animals that maintain sediment health.
The accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in estuarine regions and their ecological consequences have become global environmental concerns. Estuarine sediments function as major sinks for MPs and hotspots for critical biogeochemical processes, which are significantly influenced by benthic bioturbation. However, the impacts of MPs on the behavior of highly mobile benthic organisms and the ecological effects of bioturbation activities remain poorly understood. This study utilized laboratory simulation experiments, AI-based behavioral tracking, and metagenomic sequencing to systematically examine the effects of sand crab bioturbation on MPs migration, sediment physicochemical properties and sulfur cycling processes. Results demonstrated that sand crab bioturbation substantially enhanced the vertical migration of MPs, with fluxes to surface layers and the overlying water increasing by 27-fold compared to undisturbed conditions. Exposure to PE-MPs reduced sand crabs' surface foraging intensity and induced behavioral abnormalities. The crabs actively avoided MPs, exhibiting a preference for burrowing and residing in deeper sediment layers. This behavioral shift significantly altered microbial community distributions, with an increase of Pseudomonadota abundance and a decline of sulfate-reducing bacteria Thermodesulfobacteriota abundance. Furthermore, bioturbation accelerated sulfate oxidation in deeper sediments while inhibited dissimilatory sulfate reduction. This study is the first to identify the role of bioturbation in promoting the upward migration of MPs in sediments. Altered sand crab bioturbation will impact sediment biogeochemistry, estuarine function, and coastal resilience.
More Papers Like This
Impact of MicroplasticExposure on Sand Crab Scopimera globosa Behavior: Implications for MicroplasticTransport and Sulfur Cycling through Bioturbation
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Researchers exposed sand crabs to microplastics in laboratory simulations and measured changes in burrowing behavior and bioturbation activity, then modeled downstream effects on sediment sulfur cycling. Microplastic exposure reduced burrowing activity, which in turn altered sediment oxygen penetration and sulfur transformations, demonstrating indirect ecological impacts on estuarine biogeochemistry.
Bioturbation by Scopimera globosa enhances sediment-water fluxes of microplastics and associated phthalates: Exposure pathways and ecological risk.
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Researchers used laboratory experiments with burrowing crabs to show that bioturbation significantly increases upward transport of microplastics and desorption of phthalate plasticizers from PVC fragments in sediment — while exposed crabs exhibited behavioral changes and disrupted metabolic and oxidative stress markers, suggesting benthic fauna may actively redistribute plastic-associated contaminants rather than passively burying them.
Can fiddler crab bioturbation activity in situ modify the distribution of microplastics in sediments and the influence on their bioaccumulation?
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Researchers examined fiddler crab (Minuca rapax) bioturbation in mangrove sediments of the southern Gulf of Mexico, finding that crab burrowing activity concentrated microplastics in burrow sediments and that the characteristics of microplastics ingested by the crabs reflected those found in burrows, with the degree of bioturbation-driven MP concentration varying with local urbanization levels.
Can the bioturbation activity of the fiddler crab Minuca rapax modify the distribution of microplastics in sediments?
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Researchers investigated whether the bioturbation activity of the fiddler crab Minuca rapax can modify the distribution of microplastics in sediments along an urbanization gradient in the Gulf of Mexico. The study compared microplastic concentrations between burrows, feeding pellets, and crab tissues, finding that microplastics were more abundant and diverse in burrows. Evidence indicates that fiddler crab burrowing and feeding behaviors actively redistribute microplastics within coastal sediments.
Fate of microplastics among estuarine habitats utilized by intertidal crabs
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A study of microplastic distribution across different estuarine habitats found that concentrations and types varied substantially depending on whether samples came from sediment surfaces, burrows of intertidal crabs, or surrounding water. Crabs actively redistributed sediment and created habitat structures that accumulated microplastics differently from the surrounding environment. The findings demonstrate that bioturbation by animals plays an important role in determining where microplastics end up in estuarine sediments.
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