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Trophic transfer increases the exposure to microplastics in littoral predators

Marine Pollution Bulletin 2023 28 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Anna Kangas, Anna Kangas, Anna Kangas, Anna Kangas, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, L. Kauppi, L. Kauppi, Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä Maiju Lehtiniemi, Outi Setälä

Summary

Researchers studied how microplastics move through Baltic Sea food chains from zooplankton to shrimp to prawns in laboratory experiments. They found that predators accumulated microplastics both from the water directly and by eating contaminated prey, with trophic transfer significantly increasing overall exposure. The study suggests that animals higher up the food chain face compounded microplastic exposure from multiple sources.

Predators in aquatic environments can be exposed to microplastics (MPs) directly through water and indirectly through prey. Laboratory experiments were conducted to study the potential of MP trophic transfer in Baltic Sea littoral food chains of different lengths. The longest studied food chain had three trophic levels: zooplankton, chameleon shrimp (Praunus flexuosus) and rockpool prawn (Palaemon elegans). 10 μm fluorescence microspheres were used as tracer MP particles and MP ingestion was verified with epifluorescence microscopy. Transfer of MPs occurred up to both second and third trophic level. The number of ingested microspheres in both chameleon shrimp and rockpool prawn was higher when the animals were exposed through pre-exposed prey in comparison to direct exposure through the water. The results show that trophic transfer may be an important pathway of and increase the microplastic exposure for some animals at higher trophic levels in highly polluted areas.

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