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In-depth characterization revealed polymer type and chemical content specific effects of microplastic on Dreissena bugensis
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Researchers exposed the freshwater mussel Dreissena bugensis to multiple types of environmentally realistic microplastics and found that different polymer types caused different biological effects, suggesting that polymer chemistry and associated additives — not just particle size and shape — determine how harmful microplastics are to filter-feeding organisms. This challenges the use of polystyrene spheres as a universal model for microplastic toxicity testing.
Microplastic particles (MPs) are a major threat to ecosystems worldwide, resulting in a great need to investigate their impacts on ecosystems. To date, most studies dealing with the effects of MPs on organisms used commercially available polystyrene spherical particles, with no to little characterization of their physicochemical properties. However, MPs occurring in the environments are a composition of various polymer types with different properties. Therefore, it is hard to tell how and if the polymer type and its associated properties determine their impact on organisms. Here we show how different polymer types of MPs in the same shape, concentration, and size range (20-120µm) affect the freshwater mussel Dreissena bugensis in comparison to mussel shell fragments as natural particle control. By using hall sensor-based real-time valvometry, we studied behavioural responses via the movement of the mussels' valves and show that mussels cannot distinguish between natural particles and MPs. Furthermore, we performed an in-depth characterization of the used MPs. Different types and quantities of additives and residual monomers were found in the different polymer types, which can be linked to polymer type-dependent adverse effects on the molecular level. Recycled PET elicited the most substantial adverse effects on D. bugensis, likely caused by anthranilamide, anthranilonitrile and butylated hydroxytoluene within the MP fragments, which have been described as toxic to aquatic organisms. Since PET is among the most abundant MPs found in nature, sublethal effects may gradually manifest at the population level, leading to irreversible ecosystem changes. In summary, adverse effects in organisms caused by MPs are dependent on specific physical and chemical properties of the particles. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/428254/document
More Papers Like This
In-depth characterization revealed polymer type and chemical content specific effects of microplastic on Dreissena bugensis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed the freshwater mussel Dreissena bugensis to well-characterized microplastics of different polymer types and chemical compositions, finding that toxic effects varied by polymer type and additive content rather than particle size alone, highlighting the importance of chemical characterization in microplastic ecotoxicology studies.
In-depth characterization revealed polymer type and chemical content specific effects of microplastic on Dreissena bugensis
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This is a duplicate dataset entry for the same study on microplastic effects on Dreissena bugensis mussels, published in Journal of Hazardous Materials. It is a data repository record rather than an original research paper.
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Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in the freshwater mussel Dreissena polymorpha using polystyrene spheres of various sizes. They found that mussels rapidly ingested microplastics and that body burden was influenced by exposure time, body size, food abundance, and microplastic concentration, providing important baseline data on how freshwater bivalves interact with microplastic pollution.
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics affect freshwater animals, finding that toxicity depends on a complex mix of factors including plastic type, size, shape, chemical additives, and microbial coatings — and emphasizing that future studies need to compare synthetic plastic effects against natural particles to understand what truly makes microplastics harmful.
Plastic and natural inorganic microparticles do not differ in their effects on adult mussels (Mytilidae) from different geographic regions
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