Increased assimilation efficiency and mortality rate in Gammarus fossarum exposed to PVC microplastics
Environmental Pollution2025
2 citations
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Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Nans Barthélémy,
Mohammad Wazne,
Mohammad Wazne,
Mohammad Wazne,
Mohammad Wazne,
Mohammad Wazne,
Mohammad Wazne,
Mohammad Wazne,
Mohammad Wazne,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Nans Barthélémy,
Stefan Krause,
Nans Barthélémy,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Nans Barthélémy,
Nans Barthélémy,
Nans Barthélémy,
Thibault Datry
Stefan Krause,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Laurent Simon,
Stefan Krause,
Davide Degli Esposti,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Mohammad Wazne,
Stefan Krause,
Mohammad Wazne,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Anabelle Espeyte,
Thibault Datry
Arnaud Chaumot,
Anabelle Espeyte,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Mohammad Wazne,
Frédéric Hervant,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Mohammad Wazne,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Mohammad Wazne,
Anabelle Espeyte,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Anabelle Espeyte,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Nans Barthélémy,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Laurent Simon,
Stefan Krause,
Nans Barthélémy,
Stefan Krause,
Frédéric Hervant,
Stefan Krause,
Ghislaine Broillet,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Mohammad Wazne,
Laurent Simon,
Ghislaine Broillet,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Davide Degli Esposti,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Laurent Simon,
Arnaud Chaumot,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Thibault Datry
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Laurent Simon,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Stefan Krause,
Laurent Simon,
Mohammad Wazne,
Stefan Krause,
Laurent Simon,
Stefan Krause,
Thibault Datry
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Mohammad Wazne,
Stefan Krause,
Laurent Simon,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Laurent Simon,
Arnaud Chaumot,
Florian Mermillod‐Blondin,
Stefan Krause,
Thibault Datry
Summary
Researchers exposed freshwater amphipods to PVC microplastics of two different sizes for 28 days and found that the animals experienced increased mortality, particularly from smaller particles at higher concentrations. While the amphipods did not eat less food, they showed higher assimilation efficiency when exposed to microplastics, possibly due to changes in their gut bacteria or energy being redirected toward defense. The study highlights that even relatively low concentrations of PVC microplastics can be harmful to these important freshwater organisms.
Shredder organisms play a key role in rivers by feeding and fragmenting coarse organic matter that will then be exploited by other consumers. The effects of microplastics (MPs) on Gammarus sp., an ubiquitous genus of freshwater amphipods, and its shredding activity have been broadly investigated. However, the potential behavioral and physiological effects of different sizes of MPs on Gammarus sp. remain overlooked despite the recognized influence of MP size on MP toxicity. This study investigated the effects of a 28-day exposure to four different concentrations of two size fractions of PVC-microplastics (PVC-MPs), on Gammarus fossarum mortality rate, feeding rate, assimilation efficiency, and expression of proteins involved in key processes. Increased mortality was observed for all treatments exposed to PVC-MPs, with higher mortality in the presence of smaller PVC-MPs at the highest concentration. No protein biomarker modulation was observed in presence of PVC-MPs, suggesting that no metabolic stress but direct physical damages of PVC-MPs might have led to the observed mortalities. No difference was observed for feeding rates, but a higher assimilation efficiency was measured for individuals exposed to PVC-MPs, regardless of the concentration. This could be due to energy reallocation towards defense mechanisms or indicate a potential shift in digestive microbiota. This study highlighted the toxicity of PVC-MPs, particularly of smaller sizes and even at relatively low concentration, for Gammarus fossarum. PVC-MP pollution may therefore alter the functional integrity of river ecosystems by reducing the abundance of shredder organisms and, subsequently, the process of leaf litter decomposition.