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Number of microplastic particles on periwinkle pedal mucus in experimental setups
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This study investigated whether microplastic particles adhere to the pedal mucus produced by periwinkle snails during locomotion, testing this as a potential mechanism by which gastropods take up microplastics without directly ingesting them. The findings could explain how snails and other mucus-producing invertebrates accumulate microplastics from contaminated sediment surfaces.
The rapid dissemination of microplastics in many habitats of the oceans has raised concerns about the consequences for marine biota and ecosystems. Many adverse effects of microplastics on marine invertebrates are consequences of ingestion. Accordingly, the identification of mechanisms that facilitate the uptake of microplastics is essential for the evaluation of possible implications for marine organisms and food webs. Gastropods produce mucus for locomotion. Gastropod pedal mucus naturally retains formerly suspended micro-organisms, such as bacteria, microalgae, and seaweed spores. The retained organisms are consumed by gastropods that forage on pedal mucus. Here, we investigated the potential of gastropod pedal mucus to retain suspended microplastic particles and make them available for ingestion by periwinkles that forage on the contaminated mucus. In laboratory experiments, mucus of the periwinkles Littorina littorea and Littorina obtusata efficiently retained microplastics. Retention of microplastics varied between mucus from conspecifics of different size but not between mucus from either species. The density of microplastics in mucus trails increased concomitantly with the experimental particle concentration but was independent of incubation time. Aging of mucus and, particularly, desiccation affected the retention of microplastics. Periwinkles ingested microplastics when foraging on the contaminated mucus. Our results reveal a functional link between biogenic accumulation of microplastics and their trophic transfer by marine benthic herbivores into marine food webs.
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Gastropod pedal mucus retains microplastics and promotes the uptake of particles by marine periwinkles
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Marine periwinkles (snails) use sticky mucus to move along surfaces, and this study found that this mucus also traps and concentrates microplastic particles, facilitating their ingestion. This newly identified pathway increases the amount of microplastics that snails and similar mollusks consume from contaminated shorelines.
Adherence of microplastics to soft tissue of mussels: A novel way to uptake microplastics beyond ingestion
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Researchers discovered that mussels can take up microplastics not only by swallowing them but also through direct adherence to soft tissues like the foot and mantle. Field investigations found microplastics in multiple mussel organs, with the intestine containing the highest concentration by weight. The study proposes adherence as a previously unrecognized pathway for microplastic uptake in marine organisms, which could mean current exposure estimates are incomplete.
Experimental Evaluation of Seaweeds as a Vector for Microplastics into Marine Food Webs
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Laboratory experiments demonstrated that microplastics can adhere to the surface of seaweed and be ingested by the common periwinkle when it feeds on the seaweed. This previously overlooked pathway — plastic transfer via algal feeding — may explain how benthic grazers that don't feed directly in the water column are exposed to microplastic contamination.
Experimental evaluation of seaweeds as a vector for microplastics into marine food webs, supplementary material
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Laboratory experiments showed that the seaweed Fucus vesiculosus retains microplastics on its surface, and that the common periwinkle Littorina littorea ingests microplastics when grazing on contaminated seaweed. This work identifies seaweeds as a previously overlooked pathway for microplastic transfer into benthic food webs.
Fate and effects of microplastic particles in a periphyton-grazer system
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This study examined how microplastic particles interact with periphyton, the biofilm communities coating underwater surfaces, and whether plastics transfer to grazing snails that feed on them. Researchers found that microplastics accumulated in periphyton and were then consumed by the freshwater snail Physa acuta, demonstrating a pathway for plastics to move through the aquatic food web from biofilms to animals.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.