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Feces and molting as microplastic sinks in a mangrove crab
Summary
Researchers tracked how mangrove crabs handle microplastics they ingest from contaminated water over a 56-day experiment. Most of the ingested microplastics passed through the crabs quickly via feces and were also shed during molting, though some accumulated in the liver-like organ. While crabs can expel most microplastics, the study shows they still serve as temporary carriers that could transfer plastic particles to other animals, including humans, through the food web.
We exposed adult individuals of the sentinel mangrove crab Minuca rapax to waterborne microplastics (MP; 53-63 μm polyethylene spheres) in a long-term experiment (56 days). Weassessed 1) MP effects on growth, survival, and food intake. and 2) the MP tissue acumulation and its reduction of body burden through feces and molting. MP exposure did not affect growth and survival. The hepatopancreas accumulated more MP than the gills and muscle. Most of the ingested MP particles were released in the feces and molts, indicating a rapid passage through the digestive tract. MP impaired food intake of M. rapax, with unknown consequences to the local populations. These results provide insights on MP translocation mechanisms, its elimination and toxicity associated with MP.