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Hidden threat: microplastics interaction with Antarctic benthic invertebrates
Summary
Researchers quantified and compared the ingestion of polyethylene microbeads by three Antarctic benthic species — including a bivalve — to assess microplastic interactions with Southern Ocean invertebrates, addressing a significant gap in understanding ecological impacts on these unique and sensitive organisms in one of the world's most remote environments.
Microplastic pollution is ubiquitous in all kinds of environments and geographic zones, even reaching remote areas like Antarctica. The interactions between Antarctic marine invertebrates and microplastics have been reported, but information on possible consequences is still very limited, particularly for benthic species. This limitation poses a significant gap in our understanding of the ecological impacts on these unique sensitive marine organisms. In this context, we aim to quantify and compare the ingestion of polyethylene microbeads by three benthic species, one bivalve (Aequiyoldia eightsii) and two ascidians (Cnemidocarpa verrucosa and Molgula pedunculata). Each species (n=15) was exposed to a low (100 MB/l, n = 5), a high (100 MB/l, n = 5) and a control dose (0 MB/l, n = 5) of microbeads, maintaining the proportion of four bead size fractions: fine (10-20 µm), small (45-53 µm), medium (106-125 µm), and large (850-1000 µm). Organisms were dissected and digested with 10 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559719/document