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Microplastic fiber uptake, ingestion, and egestion rates in the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)
Summary
Researchers used imaging flow cytometry to measure microplastic fiber uptake in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), finding that filtration rates dropped sharply with increasing fiber concentration, that 71% of fibers were rejected as pseudofeces rather than ingested, and that mussels may function as significant microplastic sinks in coastal waters.
Microplastic fibers (MPF) are a ubiquitous marine contaminant, making up to 90% of global microplastic concentrations. Imaging flow cytometry was used to measure uptake and ingestion rates of MPF by blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). Mussels were fed a diet of Rhodomonas salina and MPF concentrations up to 30 MPF mL, or 0.374% of available seston. Filtration rates were greatly reduced in mussels exposed to MPF. Uptake of MPF followed a Holling's Type II functional response with 95% of the maximum rate (5227 MPF h) occurring at 13 MPF mL. An average of 39 MPF (SE ± 15, n = 4) was found in feces (maximum of 70 MPF). Most MPF (71%) were quickly rejected as pseudofeces, with approximately 9% ingested and <1% excreted in feces. Mussels may act as microplastic sinks in Gulf of Maine coastal waters, where MPF concentrations are near the order of magnitude as the experimental treatments herein.
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