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Do different habits affect microplastics contents in organisms? A trait-based analysis on salt marsh species
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Scientists measured microplastic occurrence in six benthic invertebrate species from salt marshes in northern Italy and the Netherlands, finding that species feeding habits, body size, and habitat use were better predictors of microplastic contamination than sampling location alone.
Salt marshes in urban watersheds are prone to microplastics (MP) pollution due to their hydrological characteristics and exposure to urban runoff, but little is known about MP distributions in species from these habitats. In the current study, MP occurrence was determined in six benthic invertebrate species from salt marshes along the North Adriatic lagoons (Italy) and the Schelde estuary (Netherlands). The species represented different feeding modes and sediment localisation. 96% of the analysed specimens (330) did not contain any MP, which was consistent across different regions and sites. Suspension and facultative deposit-feeding bivalves exhibited a lower MP occurrence (0.5-3%) relative to omnivores (95%) but contained a much more variable distribution of MP sizes, shapes and polymers. The study provides indications that MP physicochemical properties and species' ecological traits could all influence MP exposure, uptake and retention in benthic organisms inhabiting European salt marsh ecosystems.
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Microplastic burden in marine benthic invertebrates depends on species traits and feeding ecology within biogeographical provinces
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Researchers analyzed microplastic levels in the bodies of marine bottom-dwelling invertebrates across different ocean regions and found that the amount of microplastic ingested depended more on the animals' feeding strategies and body traits than on local pollution levels alone. Filter-feeding and deposit-feeding species accumulated the most particles. The study suggests that simply measuring environmental microplastic concentrations may not accurately predict how much wildlife in an area is actually ingesting.
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Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in two commercially important estuarine crab species in the Gulf of Mexico varied significantly based on ecological traits such as feeding behavior and habitat use, with gills and digestive tracts showing higher contamination than muscle tissue.
Are feeding traits and habitat responsible of microplastics ingestion in fish, crustaceans and elasmobranches at the western Mediterranean?
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This western Mediterranean study examined microplastic ingestion across multiple species of fish, crustaceans, and elasmobranchs, finding that feeding traits and habitat influenced but did not fully explain plastic uptake rates. The results indicate that a range of commercially important marine species are exposed to microplastics, with mean ingestion rates up to 2.3 particles per individual.
Feeding behavior is the main driver for microparticle intake in mangrove crabs
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