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The effect of interspecific and intraspecific diversity on microplastic ingestion in two co-occurring mussel species in South Africa
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A comparison of two mussel species coexisting on South African shores found that Mytilus galloprovincialis contained more than three times the microplastic load of Perna perna, with microbeads and polyethylene dominant in both species. Importantly, the two genetic lineages of P. perna did not differ in their microplastic uptake, suggesting that species identity — likely linked to differences in feeding behavior or physiology — matters more than genetic variation within a species for predicting seafood microplastic contamination.
Interspecific and intraspecific diversity are essential components of biodiversity with far-reaching implications for ecosystem function and service provision. Importantly, genotypic and phenotypic variation within a species can affect responses to anthropogenic pressures more than interspecific diversity. We investigated the effects of interspecific and intraspecific diversity on microplastic ingestion by two coexisting mussel species in South Africa, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Perna perna, the latter occurring as two genetic lineages. We found significantly higher microplastic abundance in M. galloprovincialis (0.54 ± 0.56 MP items g-1WW) than P. perna (0.16 ± 0.21 MP items g-1WW), but no difference between P. perna lineages. Microbeads were the predominant microplastic (76 % in P. perna, 99 % in M. galloprovincialis) and polyethylene the prevalent polymer. Interspecific differences in microplastic abundance varied across locations, suggesting diverse sources of contamination. We suggest that microplastic ingestion can be species-specific even in organisms that coexist and play similar functional roles within ecosystems.
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