Microplastics contaminant in Telescopium telescopium (gastropods), the keystone mangrove species and their habitat at brackish water pond, East Java, Indonesia

Microplastics (MPs) have become a compelling topic of discussion, particularly after numerous studies reported their presence in aquatic ecosystems, which can contaminate pond areas directly connected to water. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the abundance and the characteristics of MPs in surface water, sediment, and T. telescopium (Gastropods) in pond areas. The samples were obtained from three site categories, namely rivers, canals, and ponds, located in the Pasuruan pond areas, East Java, Indonesia. After an optimized extraction protocol, a stereomicroscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging was used to identify MPs polymer. The results showed that the average MPs abundance in the three site categories were 33.87 ± 8.95, 21.73 ± 10.28, and 3.77 ± 1.90 particles/L at surface water, 404.43 ± 101.18, 328.88 ± 98.8, and 317.77 ± 100.07 particles/kg dry weight (dw) at sediment and 5.7 ± 5.03, 5.8 ± 5.27, and 4.4 ± 3.86 particles/individual or 0.8 ± 0.7, 0.8 ± 0.8, and 0.63 ± 0.51 particles/g wet weight (ww) at T. telescopium. The forms found were fragments, fibers, films, and pellets, while the dominant colors were black, blue, red, and white, and the highest amounts were <300 μm in size. Subsequently, the polymer types identified were Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), Latex, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polycarbonate, and Polystyrene (PS). Further study is needed to understand MPs impact in brackish water aquaculture and the role of T. telescopium as a MPs bioindicator agent in aquatic ecosystems.