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Microplastics in Tai lake food web: Trophic transfer and human health risk assessment
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Researchers modeled the flow of microplastics through the entire food web of Tai Lake, China, and estimated the amount that ultimately reaches humans who eat seafood from the lake. They found that microplastics accumulate at each level of the food chain, with top predators and human consumers receiving the highest concentrations. The study provides a quantitative framework for assessing human health risks from microplastic contamination in freshwater ecosystems that support fishing and tourism industries.
Although microplastics (MPs) in marine organisms have been widely studied, the toxicity of MPs in freshwaters and human health is still a global challenge. To fill this gap, we implemented an Ecopath and food web accumulation model to simulate the Tai Lake ecosystem, a region dependent on the tourism and seafood industries. Our results suggested the accumulation of MPs throughout the food web and ultimately reach organisms at high trophic levels, including human-being, who consume MPs through seafood. The adults were prone to consume more MPs than adolescents and children. Unlike clams, fish biota magnification factors indicated that MPs accumulation between specific predator-prey interactions is not expected. The abundance of MPs within clams reveals a potential risk of MPs entering the food web. To better understand the MPs transfer, we recommend paying greater attention to species-specific mechanisms and the resources they rely on.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.