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Surveillance of Microplastic Pollution in Central Virginia Freshwater Ecosystems
Summary
Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in crayfish from two streams in central Virginia, examining both digestive tracts and gill filaments. Microplastics were detected in crayfish from both sites, with fibers being the most common type. The study extends freshwater microplastic research to a commonly found and ecologically important benthic invertebrate in North American streams.
Aquatic organisms often mistake microplastic particulates (MP) as food and inadvertently ingest the particulates, which can biomagnify through the food chain. While MP ingestion is well-researched in the marine environment, little is known about microplastics in freshwater ecosystems. This project explores MP occurrence in an ecologically significant freshwater invertebrate: crayfish. Crayfish from two Central Virginia streams are collected to identify MP in the digestive tracts and gill filaments, and characterize the MP using analytical chemistry techniques. It was determined that MP were present in the digestive tracts and gill filaments of crayfish collected from both streams, and that MP frequency in the urban stream was greater than that of the rural stream due to its location near the dominant thoroughfare.