We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastic bioaccumulation in odonata larvae: Integrating evidence from experimental studies in freshwater microcosm
Summary
Researchers conducted laboratory experiments simulating bromeliad-tank ecosystems to study how microplastics accumulate and transfer through freshwater food webs. They found that prey-mediated exposure led to significantly greater microplastic accumulation in predatory dragonfly larvae than direct waterborne contact. The study provides experimental evidence that microplastics can bioaccumulate and transfer up the food chain in freshwater invertebrate communities.
Microplastic (MP) pollution is an emerging global threat to freshwater biodiversity, yet little is known about its biological accumulation and trophic transfer in aquatic food webs. We conducted two complementary laboratory experiments simulating bromeliad-tank ecosystems to assess MP ingestion, bioaccumulation, and ecological effects on aquatic macroinvertebrates, with particular emphasis on odonata larvae (Bromeliagrion rehni). First, we evaluated whether MP ingestion varies across taxonomic groups, body regions, and exposure time. In a second experiment, we tested how different exposure pathways (waterborne vs. prey-mediated) and MP concentrations influence ingestion, growth, and survival in a top predatory insect. MP ingestion occurred widely among macroinvertebrates and varied by exposure duration and body region. Prey-mediated exposure led to significantly greater MP accumulation (10-day exposure) than direct contact with contaminated water. Odonata larvae fed contaminated prey exhibited higher growth rates, potentially due to increased prey vulnerability or compensatory foraging behavior. Environmental MP concentration seems to predict particle ingestion. Prey feeding habits influenced their contamination levels, indicating functional group-specific risks. This study provides experimental evidence of MP bioaccumulation and trophic transfer among freshwater macroinvertebrates and demonstrates how exposure route modulates contaminant uptake and biological responses. Moreover, macroinvertebrates act as key vectors of MP transfer, and dietary exposure may amplify sublethal effects across trophic levels. These findings underscore the need to integrate trophic dynamics into ecotoxicological evaluations and highlight how MP pollution may subtly-but significantly-disrupt freshwater food web structure and function.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Uptake and Transfer of Polyamide Microplastics in a Freshwater Mesocosm Study
A freshwater mesocosm study tracked the trophic and ontogenetic transfer of polyamide microplastics through an aquatic food web under near-natural conditions, confirming that particles were transferred between prey and predators at multiple levels. The results demonstrate that microplastic transfer through food webs occurs in realistic community settings, not just isolated laboratory tests.
Microplastic Exposure Across Trophic Levels: Effects on the Host-microbiota of Freshwater Organisms
Researchers found that exposure to 1 µm microplastic beads and the pesticide deltamethrin caused carry-over reductions in microbiome diversity and abundance across a three-level freshwater food chain of daphnids, damselfly larvae, and dragonfly larvae.
Dietary uptake, biodistribution, and depuration of microplastics in the freshwater diving beetle Cybister japonicus: Effects on predacious behavior
A freshwater diving beetle was found to accumulate microplastics by eating contaminated zebrafish, with the plastics moving from the fish's body into the beetle's tissues. This shows that microplastics transfer between predators and their prey in freshwater food webs, not just marine ones.
Glitter ingestion by bromeliad-dwelling macroinvertebrates: implications for freshwater microplastic contamination
Researchers exposed macroinvertebrates living in bromeliad leaf reservoirs to glitter particles as a microplastic proxy, finding ingestion occurred across multiple taxa and that glitter persisted in the gut and environment longer than natural food particles.
Occurrence of microplastics in edible aquatic insect Pantala sp. (Odonata: Libellulidae) from rice fields
Researchers detected microplastics in edible dragonfly larvae collected from rice fields, finding an average of 1.34 particles per individual with fragments being the most common type, raising concerns about microplastic transfer through insect-based food chains.