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Microplastics in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) : does mussel size and distribution affect the number of microplastic particles found in the mussels?
Summary
Researchers collected 213 blue mussels from three sites in the Oslo fjord to investigate whether mussel body size affects the number of microplastic particles found in their tissues. They found microplastics in mussels across size classes, with differences in particle counts between sites and size groups. The study contributes to understanding how mussel size and sampling location affect microplastic bioaccumulation in this commonly used sentinel species.
Microplastic particles present ubiquitously throughout the marine environment. To assess the widespread environmental risk of the microplastic pollution in aquatic environment, a better understanding of the distribution and accumulation is needed. Blue mussels have been used as sentinel species to monitor the microplastic pollution. Total of 213 blue mussels were collected from three different sites of Oslo fjord. Microplastics-mussels interaction was determined on the basis of the length of mussels. The number of MPs found in individuals were compared among three size groups-5-6 cm, 6-7 cm and 7-8 cm. The effect of mussel size on MP consumptions were studied and compared among the mussels collected from two substrates- water column and sediment. Microplastic particles were found in all the individuals with an average of 5.09 microplastics per individual. Positive correlation was found between the length and the number of microplastic particles in individuals from two sites. It was also recorded that the samples collected from the sediments had less number of microplastic particles than those from the water column in two sample sites.