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Toxicity of microplastics and triclosan, alone and in combination, to the fertilisation success of a broadcast spawning bivalve Tegillarca granosa
Summary
This study looked at how microplastics and the antimicrobial chemical triclosan, both common in ocean water, affect the ability of a shellfish species to reproduce through external fertilization. Researchers found that each pollutant on its own reduced fertilization success, and together they caused even greater harm by impairing sperm movement, reducing energy levels, and disrupting cellular processes. The findings suggest that the combined presence of these pollutants in coastal waters may pose a greater reproductive threat to marine invertebrates than either one alone.
Since most marine invertebrates adopted external fertilisation, their fertilisation process is particularly vulnerable to aquatic pollutants. Both antimicrobial ingredients and microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments; however, their synergistic effects on the fertilisation of marine invertebrates remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, the fertilisation toxicity of MPs and triclosan (TCS), alone and in combination, was investigated in the broadcast spawning bivalve Tegillarca granosa. Results showed that MPs and TCS significantly suppressed the fertilisation success of T. granosa. As the fertilisation success of broadcast spawning invertebrates depends on successful gamete collisions, gamete fusion, and egg activation, sperm swimming velocity, viability, gamete collision probability, ATP status, and ion-transport enzyme activities were also analysed to further ascertain the underlying toxicity mechanisms. In summary, our findings indicate that the presence of MPs may enhance the fertilisation toxicity of TCS by hampering sperm-egg collision probability, reducing gamete fusion efficiency, and restricting Ca oscillation formation.