We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Plastics everywhere: first evidence of polystyrene fragments inside the common Antarctic collembolan Cryptopygus antarcticus
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found polystyrene fragments inside the collembolan Cryptopygus antarcticus collected from field sites in Antarctica, providing the first evidence of plastic ingestion by a terrestrial Antarctic invertebrate and showing microplastics have penetrated Antarctic land food webs.
There is evidence and serious concern that microplastics have reached the most remote regions of the planet, but how far have they travelled in terrestrial ecosystems? This study presents the first field-based evidence of plastic ingestion by a common and central component of Antarctic terrestrial food webs, the collembolan Cryptopygus antarcticus. A large piece of polystyrene (PS) foam (34 × 31 × 5 cm) covered by microalgae, moss, lichens and microfauna was found in a fellfield along the shores of the Fildes Peninsula (King George Island). The application of an improved enzymatic digestion coupled with Fourier transform infrared microscopy (µ-FTIR), unequivocally detected traces of PS (less than 100 µm) in the gut of the collembolans associated with the PS foam and documented their ability to ingest plastic. Plastics are thus entering the short Antarctic terrestrial food webs and represent a new potential stressor to polar ecosystems already facing climate change and increasing human activities. Future research should explore the effects of plastics on the composition, structure and functions of polar terrestrial biota.
More Papers Like This
Supplementary material from "Plastics everywhere: first evidence of polystyrene fragments inside the common Antarctic collembolan Cryptopygus antarcticus"
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found polystyrene fragments inside a common Antarctic soil invertebrate (a collembolan) for the first time, confirming that microplastics have infiltrated Antarctic terrestrial food webs. The plastic particles likely originated from a piece of polystyrene foam found nearby that was colonized by microalgae and fauna, then consumed.
In situ microplastics ingestion by Antarctic marine benthic invertebrates
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers documented in-situ microplastic ingestion by benthic invertebrates in Antarctic waters, finding plastic particles in organisms living on the seafloor despite Antarctica's remoteness from major pollution sources. The results confirm that microplastic contamination has reached even the most isolated seafloor communities on Earth.
Prevalence and consequences of microplastic ingestion in the world's southernmost insect, Belgica antarctica
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed larvae of Belgica antarctica — the world's southernmost insect — to polyethylene microplastics in the lab and found metabolic disruption; field-collected larvae also contained microplastics, confirming environmental exposure in Antarctica's remote terrestrial ecosystems.
Hidden threat: microplastics interaction with Antarctic benthic invertebrates
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers exposed three Antarctic benthic species, including a bivalve, to polyethylene microbeads to quantify ingestion rates and characterize microplastic interactions in Southern Ocean invertebrates, finding that these remote organisms ingest microplastics and highlighting significant gaps in understanding ecological consequences for Antarctic benthic biodiversity.
Microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Antarctica: Using penguins as biological samplers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used penguin fecal samples collected from three species across the Antarctic Peninsula over seven breeding seasons to assess microplastic ingestion in these seabirds. Finding microplastics in Antarctic penguin feces confirms that plastic pollution has reached even remote polar food webs, with krill serving as a potential pathway for transferring microplastics to penguins.
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.