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Sensing the interaction of living organisms with microplastics by microscopy methods
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Researchers investigated how living photosynthetic organisms interact with microplastics using fluorescence microscopy methods, testing fluorescently labelled custom microplastics alongside naturally occurring polyethylene particles from Rhine river suspended matter against moss samples. They found that endogenous chlorophyll fluorescence was sensitive to microplastic presence and could serve as a biosensing signal to assess microplastic interactions with aquatic photosynthetic life.
Environmental pollution by microplastics (MPs) represents a serious burden of the 21st century. Sensing the interactions of photosynthetic organisms with MPs is based on the study of their endogenous fluorescence derived from chlorophylls. Fluorescently labelled custom-made MPs were tested. We also recorded endogenous fluorescence of the moss in the presence of “naturally-occurring” MPs (polyethylene content of 2 mg/g, non fluorescent) in suspended matter (SM) from the river Rhine. Performed experiments evaluated the distribution of the MPs, as well as the sensitivity of endogenous fluorescence of chlorophylls to their presence. Understanding the interaction of living organisms with MPs will help to assess the impact of this environmental pollution and eventually to propose new approaches for its removal from water sources.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.