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Fragmentation of expanded polystyrene to microplastics by wharf roach Ligia spp.

Marine Pollution Bulletin 2025 4 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 58 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Yuki Takai, Seokhyun Lee, Seokhyun Lee, Masato Honda, Yuki Takai, Yuki Takai, Masato Honda, Yuji Oshima Yuki Takai, Yuki Takai, Yukinari Tsuruda, Yukinari Tsuruda, Koki Mukai, Yuki Takai, Koki Mukai, Yuki Takai, Masato Honda, Masato Honda, Yuki Takai, Masato Honda, Yuki Takai, Yuki Takai, Masato Honda, Yuki Takai, Koki Mukai, Koki Mukai, Koki Mukai, Yuki Takai, Yukinari Tsuruda, Yuji Oshima Yuji Oshima Yuji Oshima Koki Mukai, Yukinari Tsuruda, Masato Honda, Tomohiro Hirasawa, Yukinari Tsuruda, Tomohiro Hirasawa, Yuji Oshima Tomohiro Hirasawa, Tomohiro Hirasawa, Yukinari Tsuruda, Daniel Christian Wijaya, Daniel Christian Wijaya, Daniel Christian Wijaya, Daniel Christian Wijaya, Yuji Oshima Yuki Takai, Yuji Oshima Seokhyun Lee, Yuki Takai, Yuki Takai, Yuki Takai, Seokhyun Lee, Yuji Oshima Yuji Oshima Yuji Oshima Yohei Simasaki, Yohei Simasaki, Yuji Oshima Yuji Oshima Yohei Simasaki, Yohei Simasaki, Yuji Oshima Masato Honda, Yuji Oshima Yuji Oshima Masato Honda, Yuji Oshima

Summary

Researchers discovered that wharf roaches, common coastal crustaceans found throughout the Pacific region, actively graze on expanded polystyrene and fragment it into microplastics as small as 2 micrometers. In field surveys along Japanese coastlines, these animals were found to ingest polystyrene more frequently than other types of plastic. The study reveals a previously unrecognized biological pathway by which large plastic debris gets broken down into microplastics in coastal environments.

Polymers

PE PP PS

The East Asian region is an area of high human and fishery activity, where a substantial amount of plastic, especially expanded polystyrene (EPS), is discharged into the environment and reaches sandy and rocky seashores. EPS pollution and its impact on organisms inhabiting sandy and rocky areas may be suspected. In a field study conducted in the West Japan sandy and rocky seashore region, wharf roaches, Ligia spp., which are ubiquitous and cosmopolitan organisms in the Pacific area, were found to ingest EPS more frequently than polypropylene and polyethylene microplastics. Furthermore, the results of our feeding experiment indicate that wharf roaches are capable of not only grazing on EPS, but also fragmenting EPS to microplastics ranging from 2 to 214 μm in diameter when estimated as circles. We conclude that wharf roaches may contribute to the decomposition and fragmentation of EPS microplastics.

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