Assessment of otolith variability and micro litter pollution in Antarctic teleostean in relation to Ross Sea water circulation

Antarctica is the continent located in the Earth's southern hemisphere, beyond the 60th parallel of southern latitude. It covers about 14 million square kilometers, most of which is permanently covered by snow and ice. Given its geographical location, this continent has no significant sources of local pollution. Nevertheless, increased human activities have caused an increase in the presence of pollutants in this remote ecosystem. Plastic is one of these, causing bioaccumulation events throughout the food chain. In this context, scientific efforts to improve the current knowledge of underestimated areas are necessary to support the goals of the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area (RSRMPA) research and monitoring plan. In this project, the study of Chionodraco hamatus, an endemic predator that has developed specific adaptations to survive in this extreme environment, such as lacking hemoglobin, was planned. This project was suitable for establishing the level of MPs contamination in the Antarctic region of the Ross Sea. The aims of the project focuse on the analysis of the variability of the chemical structure of the otoliths to better understand the life of the fishes and the characterization of microplastics, where present, in the gastrointestinal tract of the samples, in correlation with the analysis of microbiome. The results obtained would implement the studies previously carried out on the monitoring of the MPA of Ross Sea and represent an increase in knowledge on the effects of microplastics have on Antarctic fish and the correlations with microplastics.