We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Effects of food presence on microplastic ingestion and egestion in Mytilus galloprovincialis
Summary
The presence of the microalga Dunaliella salina as food significantly reduced egestion of polyethylene microplastics in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, with a single feeding episode preventing over 40% of MPs from being expelled over 24 hours. The finding suggests food presence causes microplastics to persist longer in mussel tissues, increasing exposure duration.
Plastic wastes are widespread pollutants in marine environments and several studies have focused on their impacts on different ecosystems. Microplastics (MPs, < 5 mm) have been the focus of a particularly extensive investigation because of their ubiquity, large surface area, interactions with organisms, and the challenges they present in terms of disposal and management. However, studies regarding their fates and life cycle in ecosystems are still limited. This study examined the effects of presence of food (the green microalga Dunaliella salina) on egestion rate of polyethylene MPs in the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Ingestion and egestion rates were calculated after 6, 12, 18, and 24 h of depuration. The results suggest that MPs exposed to algal food persisted in the mussels. A single exposure of MPs without food induced relatively rapid excretion by the mussels compared to MPs exposure with food. This could be attributed to the ability of mussels to distinguish between nutritive foods and unusable suspended particles. Thus, environmental factors, such as food abundance, can affect the cycle or fate of MPs in marine environments.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
An assessment of the ability to ingest and excrete microplastics by filter-feeders: A case study with the Mediterranean mussel
Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were exposed to spherical polystyrene microplastics of different sizes and concentrations and examined for tissue-level effects and ingestion/egestion dynamics, with smaller particles showing greater retention and histological changes in digestive tissue. The study provides detailed pathophysiological evidence that MP size governs both retention time and the severity of tissue-level effects in marine filter feeders.
The observation of starch digestion in blue mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to microplastic particles under varied food conditions
Researchers exposed blue mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to microplastics under varying food availability conditions and monitored digestive performance, finding that microplastic ingestion disrupted starch digestion efficiency and that the effect was more pronounced when food was scarce.
Size-dependent elimination of ingested microplastics in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
Researchers measured gut retention time and long-term egestion of 1, 10, and 90 μm polystyrene microspheres in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, finding that smaller microplastics were excreted quickly but detected intermittently for up to 40 days, while larger particles were slowly excreted in bulk before disappearing.
Physiological effects of plastic particles on mussels are mediated by food presence
Thick shell mussels exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics (70 nm) and microplastics (10 µm) with and without microalgae food found that food presence mediated the physiological effects — microplastics reduced energy budget and increased oxidative stress markers most strongly when food was mixed with particles.
Insights into the uptake, elimination and accumulation of microplastics in mussel
Researchers investigated how mussels take up, eliminate, and accumulate high-density polyethylene microplastics smaller than 22 micrometers. They found that mussels cleared microplastics at the same rate as similarly sized food particles, but smaller particles (under 6 micrometers) were retained much longer in the digestive gland. After six days of depuration, about 85 percent of ingested microplastics were eliminated, but 2 to 6 percent remained embedded in digestive tissue, indicating that small microplastics can accumulate in filter-feeding organisms.