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Microplastics determination and quantification in two benthic filter feeders Sabella spallanzanii, Polychaeta and Paraleucilla magna, Porifera
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Researchers developed a simple method to extract and quantify microplastics from two benthic filter-feeding species, the fan worm Sabella spallanzanii and the calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna. Using a potassium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide solution, they achieved over 98 percent organic matter removal while preserving the plastic particles. The findings suggest these filter feeders could serve as effective bioindicators for monitoring marine microplastic pollution.
Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem especially in the marine environment. Plastic items once fragmented into microplastics (MPs), can be captured by different marine species. Benthic filter feeders like sponges and polychaetas, due to their trophic strategy, are highly exposed to MPs pollution. Herein a simple but effective method to digest the fan worm and the calcareous sponge is presented: a solution with KOH and HO was able to remove quantitatively (more than 98 %) the organic matter in 3 h while an acid treatment dissolved most of spicules and chaetes in less than 30 min. MPs were easily identified both microscopically and spectroscopically on filters. Quantification in animals collected from the same environment showed that, on average, sponges accumulate fewer MPs than polychaetes (66 ± 31 and 117 ± 46 particles/g dry weight, respectively). The plastic recovery of the method was validated using three different approaches (spiking of standard PS microspheres, of common-use plastic objects, and of microplastics already weathered in marine environment). This procedure can make it easier and cost-effective to process biota in monitoring studies, providing information about bioindicator/bioremediation species.
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