We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Co-exposure of microplastics with heavy metals increases environmental pressure in the endangered and rare wildlife reserve: A case study of the zhalong wetland red-crowned crane nature reserve, northeast China
Summary
Researchers studied how microplastics and heavy metals interact in the Zhalong Wetland, a nature reserve for endangered red-crowned cranes in northeast China. They found that microplastics in the wetland carried elevated levels of heavy metals on their surfaces, creating a combined contamination risk greater than either pollutant alone. The study raises concerns about the compounded environmental pressures facing protected wildlife areas from multiple pollutant types.
Microplastics (MPs) exposure to remote areas, including endangered and rare wildlife reserves, has attracted increasing concern. Compared with previous research mostly draws attention to the single exposure of MPs to the environment, greater emphasis should be placed on understanding the complex environmental behaviors of MPs. Therefore, the potential risks of MPs to ecosystems need to be explored in combination with their coexistence with other contaminants, but this is not well-understood. The presented study, taking Zhalong National Nature Reserve (Zhalong wetland), the largest habitat and breeding site for migratory Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) in China, as an example, reveals the possibility of the co-exposure of MPs with various heavy metals. The average abundance of MPs in surface water and sediments in Zhalong Wetland is 738 particles/L and 7332 particles/kg, respectively, which is at a high level of MP pollution worldwide. The obtained results figure out that MPs are also widely found in Red-crowned cranes' feces and feathers. Notably, this study confirms that MP co-exposes to the wetland with Cr, Cd, and As via common sources, exposure routes, and the vector effect of MP. Importantly, we develop the methods of the environmental pressure for individual contaminants and achieve a comprehensive risk assessment of MPs co-exposure with other contaminants in the wetland ecosystem for the first time. It is found that co-exposure to heavy metal can increase the ecological risks of MPs. This is conducive to making a more standardized and reliable framework to estimate the environmental impacts of MP pollution and to formulate prevention and control policies.