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An Account on Microplastics Ingestion by Zooplankton Community of Coral Reef Lagoons and Open Waters of Lakshadweep Archipelago: Assessment of Potential Risks
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A January 2022 survey of zooplankton in Lakshadweep coral reef lagoons found microplastics in all taxa, with non-crustacean groups ingesting more particles and copepods preferentially consuming smaller fragments; polyethylene and polypropylene dominated, and Pollution Load Index scores indicated moderate-to-high contamination. These findings are significant because zooplankton form the base of marine food webs, meaning microplastic ingestion at this level can propagate contamination and harm up through fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.
An investigation into microplastic (MP) ingestion by zooplankton (ZP) community was carried out in January 2022 across the coral reef lagoons of Lakshadweep Archipelago (LDA), a remote yet ecologically significant reef system in the eastern Arabian Sea. The study confirmed the pervasive occurrence of MPs within the ZP assemblages, with ingestion patterns exhibiting significant taxonomic variation. Non-crustacean groups, particularly Siphonophora, Hydromedusae and Chaetognatha, ingested comparatively higher quantities of MPs, whereas crustacean taxa, dominated by copepods, displayed significantly lower ingestion rates. Moreover, copepods tended to ingest smaller-sized MPs, in contrast to non-crustaceans that assimilated relatively larger particles. Among the surveyed lagoons, the ZP community in Kavaratti lagoon exhibited highest number of MPs, a pattern likely driven by its proximity to the most densely populated island in the archipelago and associated anthropogenic pressures. Characterization of ingested MPs revealed a predominance of bead- and fragment- shaped particles across all ZP taxa, irrespective of lagoon. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis identified polyethylene (average 27%) and polypropylene (average 20%) as the primary polymer types. Pollution assessment metrics, including the Pollution Load Index (PLI) and Polymeric Hazardous Index (PHI), indicated moderate to high MP contamination, corresponding to Hazard Levels II and IV, respectively. These findings highlight the widespread nature of MP pollution even in geographically isolated reef ecosystems such as the LDA. Considering the ecological importance of these lagoons within the coral reef network of India, the occurrence of MPs in foundational trophic groups such as zooplankton emphasize the urgent need for targeted strategies to mitigate plastic pollution arising from local anthropogenic activities.
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