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Uptake of microplastics by marine worms depends on feeding mode and particle shape but not exposure time
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Researchers found that filter-feeding marine worms ingested approximately 15,000% more microfibers than deposit-feeding worms, demonstrating that both feeding mode and particle shape significantly determine microplastic uptake in marine organisms.
The uptake of microplastics into marine species has been widely documented across trophic levels. Feeding mode is suggested as playing an important role in determining different contamination loads across species, but this theory is poorly supported with empirical evidence. Here we use the two distinct feeding modes of the benthic polychaete, Hediste diversicolor (The Harbour Ragworm) (O.F. Müller, 1776), to test the hypothesis that filter feeding will lead to a greater uptake of microplastic particles than deposit feeding. Worms were exposed to both polyamide microfragments and microfibres in either water (as filter feeders) or sediment (as deposit feeders) for 1 week. No effect of exposure time was found between 1 day and 1 week (p > 0.19) but feeding mode was found to significantly affect the number of microfibres recovered from each worm (p < 0.001). When exposed to microfibers, filter feeding worms took up ≈15,000 % more fibres than deposit feeding worms (p < 0.001), whereas when feeding on microfragments there was no difference between feeding modes. Our data demonstrate that both feeding mode and particle characteristics significantly influence the uptake of microplastics by H. diversicolor. Using imaging flow cytometry, filter feeders were found to take up a broader size range of particles, with significantly more smaller and larger particles than deposit feeders (p < 0.05), commensurate with the range of plastics isolated from the guts of ragworms recovered from the environment. These results demonstrate that biological traits are useful in understanding the uptake of plastics into marine worms and warrant further exploration as a tool for understanding the bioaccessibility of plastics to marine organisms.
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Feeding type affects microplastic ingestion in a coastal invertebrate community
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Researchers exposed a coastal Baltic Sea invertebrate community — including mussels, crustaceans, and deposit feeders — to microplastic beads at three concentrations and found that feeding mode strongly determined ingestion rates, with filter-feeding bivalves accumulating significantly more particles than deposit feeders or free-swimming crustaceans.
Microplastic burden in marine benthic invertebrates depends on species traits and feeding ecology within biogeographical provinces
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Researchers analyzed microplastic levels in the bodies of marine bottom-dwelling invertebrates across different ocean regions and found that the amount of microplastic ingested depended more on the animals' feeding strategies and body traits than on local pollution levels alone. Filter-feeding and deposit-feeding species accumulated the most particles. The study suggests that simply measuring environmental microplastic concentrations may not accurately predict how much wildlife in an area is actually ingesting.
The role of microbe-microplastic associations in marine Nematode feeding behaviors
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Researchers found that microbial biofilms growing on microplastics influenced marine nematode feeding behavior, with nematodes showing preferential consumption of biofilm-coated particles, suggesting that microbial colonization plays a key role in why organisms ingest microplastics.
Are feeding traits and habitat responsible of microplastics ingestion in fish, crustaceans and elasmobranches at the western Mediterranean?
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This western Mediterranean study examined microplastic ingestion across multiple species of fish, crustaceans, and elasmobranchs, finding that feeding traits and habitat influenced but did not fully explain plastic uptake rates. The results indicate that a range of commercially important marine species are exposed to microplastics, with mean ingestion rates up to 2.3 particles per individual.
Microplastic Ingestion by a Benthic Amphipod in Different Feeding Modes
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This study found that a small estuarine crustacean ingests microplastic beads differently depending on how it feeds — filter-feeding individuals ingested particles proportional to water concentrations, while deposit-feeders preferentially ingested larger particles that settled on the bottom. The findings suggest feeding behavior significantly influences how much and what size microplastics organisms accumulate.
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