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Mikroplastens intåg i den limnologiska miljön - Allmän dammussla (Anodonta anatina) innehåller mikroplast
Summary
This Swedish study exposed freshwater mussels (Anodonta anatina) to microplastics and examined uptake and potential health effects, finding that mussels ingest microplastics and that higher exposures affected their physiology. The study contributes to understanding microplastic impacts on freshwater bivalves that are important for ecosystem function and serve as indicators of water quality.
Alarming amount of plastic accumulate in the ocean. Recent research states that if the use of plastic will continue as predicted it will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. It has been established that microplastic has spread to many of the world's marine ecosystems. Some animals including mussels mistake microplastic for food and ingest the microplastic, a big problem which can lead to disorders and reduced fitness. Researchers notes that microplastic is present in animals consumed by humans. The purpose of this study is to find out if there is microplastic in a Scania stream and if duck mussels (Anodonta anatina) ingest the plastic particles. Sewage treatment plants releases microplastics to the environment. For that reason, this study will collect and compare two mussel groups, one upstream and one downstream of a treatment plant. The specimen was dissolved in nitric acid and filtered before examination. The samples were examined with microscope and the synthetic particles were categorized into different colour of synthetic fiber and round particles. This study shows that microplastic is present in the Swedish stream due to anthropogenic activity, all of the analyzed mussels contained microplastic. This study also found a significant difference in microplastic between the mussels from the different collecting sites. The lack of research concerning microplastic in the freshwater environment enables new research opportunities, regarding the extent and the effect of microplastic in freshwater ecology.