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Ecological traits do not predict the uptake of microplastics by fishes in a Neotropical River
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Researchers found that nearly half (49%) of 101 fish examined from a Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest river contained microplastics in their organs, with PET fibers being predominant and blue fibers accounting for 91% of all particles. Importantly, neither trophic level, feeding strategy, nor habitat predicted which fish were most contaminated — individual size and species-specific traits were better predictors. Since 55% of the analyzed species are consumed by humans, the study raises direct concerns about microplastic transfer through the food chain to people.
Pollution by synthetic polymers is even more problematic to the environment when this material is fragmented into small portions, forming microplastics (MPs). We analyzed the contamination of ichthyofauna by MPs in an important river of the Atlantic Rainforest in regard to abundance, diversity of morphotypes, polymers, colors, and sizes of the synthetic particles in 20 species of fish. Fish were collected in November 2019 and in March 2020 in five sites along the Pomba River. Of the 101 fish analyzed, 49 (49%) presented MPs in at least one organ. Of the 20 species of fish collected 13 included individuals with at least one MP in their analyzed organs. The organs, trophic categories and feeding areas did not affect the general abundance of MPs types. Blue MPs were predominant, followed by the colors black, red, and white. MP fibers represented 91% of total MPs. Most MPs were between 2 and 3 mm in size. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), polyvinylidene chloride "Nylon" (PVDC), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were detected in the fishes. The exposure of the fish species to MPs was associated mainly with individual size and species-specific aspects, regardless of ecological traits. Considering that 55% of the fish species studied are consumed by humans, it is necessary to study the potential impact of MP ingestion on human health and to understand to what extent we may be consuming both plastic particles and contaminants that are adsorbed to MPs.
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Ecological traits do not predict the uptake of microplastics by fishes in a Neotropical River
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Researchers found that ecological traits such as feeding guild, habitat use, and body size do not reliably predict microplastic uptake in fish species from a Neotropical river, suggesting contamination patterns are driven more by local environmental conditions than by species-specific biology.
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Researchers measured microplastic loads in riverine fish and macroinvertebrates and found that particle counts were not reliably predicted by species ecology or morphology, suggesting that individual variation and local environmental factors play a larger role in microplastic ingestion than feeding guild or habitat alone.
Food ecology and presence of microplastic in the stomach content of neotropical fish in an urban river of the upper Paraná River Basin
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Microplastics were found in the stomachs of multiple fish species in an urban Brazilian river, with ingestion rates linked to each species' feeding ecology. The findings confirm that microplastics have entered the freshwater food chain, raising concern about contamination reaching people who eat these fish.
Influence of biological, ecological, and anthropogenic factors on microplastic contamination in coastal fishes from Southeastern Brazil
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Researchers analyzed four commercially important fish species from two bays of contrasting human impact in southeastern Brazil, finding microplastics in 83.1% of individuals with blue microfibers predominating, and determined that anthropogenic pressure and summer seasonality — not habitat type or body size — were the strongest predictors of contamination levels.
Do trophic guilds and habitat use influence microplastic ingestion in fishes from the Jaguariaíva River, upper Paraná River basin, Brazil?
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