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Assessment of the effects of environmental concentrations of microplastics on the aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum
Summary
This 31-day study tested the effects of polystyrene microplastics on the New Zealand mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, finding that even environmentally relevant concentrations reduced fertility in females. The results suggest microplastic pollution in freshwater environments can impair the reproductive success of small invertebrates at realistic exposure levels.
In this study, we assessed the impacts of different environmental and supra-environmental concentrations of polystyrene microplastics on the mortality, behavior, and fertility of the New Zealand mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum during a long-term exposure (31 days). Mortality was evaluated as the cumulative number of dead adults. Behavior was assessed by three variables: the cumulative percentage of immobile animals, the reaction time, and the spatial distribution of individuals in the experimental units. Reproduction was assessed by three variables: the total number of neonates, the cumulative number of live neonates (i.e. sliding animals), and the cumulative number of dead neonates (i.e. animals without movement) per live adult. The following files correspond to the raw data used for the statistical analyses:- "mort-.csv": contains the cumulative number of dead animals in each treatment ("Mort" column), the number of snails in each replicate, and the days after acclimatization when measurments were done.- "acum inmov-.csv": contains the data regarding the cumulative percentage of immobile snails (last column) in each treatment, the number of snails in each replicate, and the days after acclimatization when measurments were done.- "position-.csv": contains the number and the percentage of adult snails located on different parts of the experimental units (animals totally or partially buried in the sediment, animals on the sediment, animals on the wall, and animals hanging from the water surface as a consequence of surface tension) for each treatment, the number of snails in each replicate, and the days after acclimatization when measurments were done.- "neonates-.csv": includes the number of total, dead, and live neonates per alive adult, the number of snails in each replicate, and the days after acclimatization when measurments were done.- "activity-.csv": includes the reaction time (in seconds) of each individual in each treatment during the experimental period, the number of snails in each replicate, and the days after acclimatization when measurments were done.