We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Slow and steady hurts the crab: Effects of chronic and acute microplastic exposures on a filter feeder crab
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that chronic low-concentration microplastic exposure over five months caused significant metabolic and nutritional damage to filter-feeding crabs, while acute high-concentration exposure showed no effects, highlighting the importance of long-term exposure studies.
Microplastics are a widespread environmental contaminant. Although detrimental effects on aquatic organisms are well documented, little is known about the long-term effects of microplastic exposure to filter-feeding organisms at ecologically realistic levels. This study investigates the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of polyethylene micro beads ranging in size from 3 to 30 μm, on the physiology and energetics of a coastal filter-feeding crab Petrolisthes laevigatus. We evaluated the impact of microplastics by exposing P. laevigatus to two different concentrations and exposure times: i) a chronic exposure for five months at 250 particles L, and ii) an acute exposure for 48 h at 20,800 particles L, ~80 times higher than the chronic exposure. The results showed that only chronic exposures elicited negative effects on the coastal crab in both, metabolic and physiological parameters. Our findings demonstrate a strong correlation between the ingestion rate and weight loss, even at low concentrations, the crabs exhibited severe nutritional damage as a result of long-term microplastic exposure. By contrast, acute exposure revealed no significant effects to the crabs, a possible explanation for this being short-term compensatory responses. These results suggest that environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics are harmful to marine organisms, and they should be evaluated during realistic temporal scales, as their effects strongly dependent on the exposure time. Our results also suggest that the effects of microplastics have been likely underestimated to date, due to the dominance of short-term exposures (acute) reported in the current literature.
More Papers Like This
Particle size influences physiological responses to chronic exposure to polyethylene particles in juvenile Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus).
AI summary Read the abstract
Baby horseshoe crabs exposed to tiny plastic particles for three weeks grew slower, especially when exposed to larger microplastic fragments, even though other health markers looked normal. This suggests microplastics can subtly stunt growth in young marine animals, a reminder that plastic pollution's impact on marine food chains, and potentially the seafood we eat, deserves continued attention.
Smaller fibrous microplastics exert stronger multi-level effects on the intertidal mud crab (Macrophthalmus japonicus)
AI summary Read the abstract
Tiny plastic fibers, smaller than a grain of rice, turned out to be more harmful to mud crabs than larger plastic fibers, causing more deaths, damage to their gills, and buildup in their bodies. Since these crabs are part of the food chain that ends up on our plates, this research suggests that smaller microplastic fibers in our oceans could pose a bigger risk to seafood safety than previously thought.
Pathological and biochemical effects of polyethylene microplastic exposure in hydrothermal vent crab, Xenograpsus testudinatus
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed hydrothermal vent crabs, which are adapted to extreme environments, to polyethylene microplastics and found that even these resilient animals suffered significant organ damage and oxidative stress. Higher microplastic concentrations caused severe damage to the liver-like organ and gills, and overwhelmed the crabs' antioxidant defenses. The finding that even organisms built to survive harsh conditions are vulnerable to microplastics underscores how pervasive the threat is to marine life.
Microplastic accumulation via trophic transfer: Can a predatory crab counter the adverse effects of microplastics by body defence?
AI summary Read the abstract
Trophic transfer and accumulation of microplastics were studied in a predatory crab to examine whether predation from lower trophic levels contributes to microplastic body burden. The study found that the crab accumulated microplastics through both filter feeding from water and consumption of contaminated prey, suggesting that higher trophic predators cannot fully avoid microplastic exposure through dietary selectivity.
Feeding behavior is the main driver for microparticle intake in mangrove crabs
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists investigated microplastic ingestion by crabs in mangrove ecosystems and found that feeding behavior was the primary driver of particle uptake, with deposit-feeding crabs accumulating more microplastics than filter feeders, underscoring the role of behavioral traits in determining microplastic exposure.
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.