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Microplastic in riverine fish is connected to species traits
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Researchers measured microplastic contamination in fish and surface waters from three Lake Michigan tributaries and found that a fish's feeding behavior — particularly bottom-feeding — was a stronger predictor of microplastic ingestion than the local water concentration. Round goby bottom-feeders had the highest microplastic loads, suggesting that food web position plays a key role in how microplastics accumulate in freshwater fish.
Abstract Microplastic is a contaminant of concern worldwide. Rivers are implicated as major pathways of microplastic transport to marine and lake ecosystems, and microplastic ingestion by freshwater biota is a risk associated with microplastic contamination, but there is little research on microplastic ecology within freshwater ecosystems. Microplastic uptake by fish is likely affected by environmental microplastic abundance and aspects of fish ecology, but these relationships have rarely been addressed. We measured the abundance and composition of microplastic in fish and surface waters from 3 major tributaries of Lake Michigan, USA. Microplastic was detected in fish and surface waters from all 3 sites, but there was no correlation between microplastic concentrations in fish and surface waters. Rather, there was a significant effect of functional feeding group on microplastic concentration in fish. Neogobius melanostomus (round goby, a zoobenthivore) had the highest concentration of gut microplastic (19 particles fish −1 ) compared to 10 other fish taxa measured, and had a positive linear relationship between body size and number of microplastic particles. Surface water microplastic concentrations were lowest in the most northern, forested watershed, and highest in the most southern, agriculturally dominated watershed. Results suggest microplastic pollution is common in river food webs and is connected to species feeding characteristics. Future research should focus on understanding the movement of microplastic from point-source and diffuse sources and into aquatic ecosystems, which will support pollution management efforts on inland waters.
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Microplastic loads within riverine fishes and macroinvertebrates are not predictable from ecological or morphological characteristics
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Researchers measured microplastic loads in riverine fish and macroinvertebrates and found that particle counts were not reliably predicted by species ecology or morphology, suggesting that individual variation and local environmental factors play a larger role in microplastic ingestion than feeding guild or habitat alone.
Variability in the drivers of microplastic consumption by fish across four lake ecosystems
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Researchers examined microplastic consumption by three fish species across four lakes in Minnesota and found that ingestion rates varied by species and feeding strategy. Filter-feeding fish consumed microplastics at rates that matched local water contamination levels, while visual feeders did not show the same pattern. The findings indicate that a fish's feeding behavior plays a major role in determining its microplastic exposure.
Impact of Fish Feeding Habitat and Diet on Microplastic Concentrations in Gastrointestinal Tracts of St. Lawrence River Fish
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This study examined microplastic contamination in fish from the St. Lawrence River in Canada, finding that fish feeding habits and diet significantly influenced how many plastic particles their digestive tracts contained. Bottom-feeding fish that consume sediment-associated food ingested more microplastics, providing insight into how contamination moves through freshwater food webs.
Ecological traits do not predict the uptake of microplastics by fishes in a Neotropical River
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Researchers found that ecological traits such as feeding guild, habitat use, and body size do not reliably predict microplastic uptake in fish species from a Neotropical river, suggesting contamination patterns are driven more by local environmental conditions than by species-specific biology.
Microplastic Retention by Type in Several Species of Fish from the Great Lakes
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This study examined microplastic retention by particle type in several species of fish from the Great Lakes, analyzing digestive tracts for plastic content across different fish feeding strategies. Fish from the Great Lakes are consumed by humans, making microplastic contamination in these species directly relevant to public health concerns.
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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.