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Freshwater ecosystems’ benthic microplastic uptake in fish: the case study of Chondrostoma nasus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Summary
Researchers investigated benthic microplastic uptake in the nase (Chondrostoma nasus) in freshwater ecosystems, analyzing gastrointestinal content and muscle tissue for microplastic fibers given the fish's bottom-feeding mouth morphology. They found microplastic fibers present in gastrointestinal content but absent from muscle tissue, indicating limited absorption through the gastrointestinal tract, and observed that while most individuals had relatively low microplastic loads, a subset showed higher concentrations.
Abstract The feeding characteristics of the nase, based on its mouth morphology and feeding behaviour make it a biological uptake vector for microplastics in the freshwater ecosystems. Fibres may have limited absorption through the gastro-intestinal tract and would be unlikely to find in the fish tissues. The presence of microplastic fibres in the gastro-intestinal content is a proof of how difficult it is for these fibres to become embedded in other organs. The absence of microplastic fibres found in its muscle tissue and gastro-intestinal tissue is important information for microplastic fabrication and management in aquatic ecosystems. The majority of fish have relatively low levels of microplastics, however, a few individuals have a higher dose. This is true for all types of microplastics analysed with the exception of individuals that had just one microplastic present in the analysed matrix. The microplastics are not concentrated in the fish tissues and gastro-intestinal tract content in relation with fish age, which may be due to their different mobility in the ecosystem, or due to the recent appearance of this type of contamination and the scale at which microplastics bioaccumulate. Such a relatively common fish must be included in assessment and monitoring systems of the European lotic systems. The risks involved include the transfer of the freshwater environments microplastics into human organ tissues via the food web of fishing species with the nase as a key basis.