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Possible Interactions Between Environmental Microplastics, Copepods ( Tigriopus brevicornis ) and Oysters ( Crassostrea gigas ) in the Pertuis Charentais Sea
Summary
Scientists studying oysters exposed to microplastic-contaminated seawater found something unexpected: tiny crustaceans called copepods thrived inside the oysters, potentially competing with them for food and stressing them out. Since oysters are farmed for human consumption, this matters because contaminated, stressed, or unhealthy oysters could affect the quality and safety of seafood we eat. More research is needed to understand exactly how microplastics, these hitchhiking organisms, and oyster health are connected, and what that means for the shellfish on our plates.
In this chapter, the authors examine and observe the presence of invasive copepods in Pertuis Charentais seawater under controlled laboratory conditions. During an experiment carried out on adult oysters, reared in an aquarium with seawater from Pertuis Charentais and exposed to environmental microplastics, they were able to observe a large number of easily identifiable populations of copepods: Tigriopus brevicornis . The copepods could play a competitive role in the predation and filtration of phytoplankton by oysters. The Pertuis Breton seawater was received directly on site in order to create similar environmental conditions to those of the shellfish professionals. High concentrations of microorganisms were highlighted. Inter-valve fluid samplings were collected to identify and analyze persistent parasites in dead oysters. Exposure of oysters to environmental microplastics enabled us to observe a high concentration of T. brevicornis copepods in oysters.