0
Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Environmental Sources Gut & Microbiome Human Health Effects Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Microplastics in the fish Dormitator maculatus from the Alvarado Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico

Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research 2025 Score: 48 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Derian Javier Del Ángel-Guzmán, Fabiola Lango‐Reynoso, Claudia Araceli Dávila‐Camacho, María del Refugio Castañeda‐Chávez, Rocío de Guadalupe Bernal-Ramirez, Jesús Montoya‐Mendoza, Leonardo Martinez

Summary

Researchers found 1,134 microplastic particles in the gills and digestive tracts of 127 fat sleeper fish from Mexico's Alvarado Lagoon, with an average of about 9 MPs per fish, and identified correlations between MP burden and biological health parameters in the sampled organisms.

Body Systems

This work analyzed the presence of microplastics (MP) in the gills and digestive tract of the fish Dormitator maculatus and its relationship with biological parameters in the Alvarado Lagoon (AL). In 127 organisms, 1,134 MP were found: 561 in the digestive tract and 573 in the gills, with an average of 8.9 MP per individual. Central tendency, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and linear regression tests were performed to examine the relationship between the number of MP and the biological parameters of D. maculatus. A slight correlation was found between the number of MP in the gut and gills. The biological parameters analyzed - weight, length, condition index, and gut fullness - lacked a relationship between the amount of MP present in the gut and gills. The MPs were classified by color and type: fibers, pellets, films, and fragments. All fish analyzed presented MP in digestive tracts and gills, which indicates a uniform distribution of contamination and suggests that it originates from nearby populations, resulting from daily activities such as washing synthetic clothes and fishing. Fibers were the most dominant material (97.53%), comprising 62% blue and 12% transparent fibers. The presence of these is a threat to the health of both fauna and humans.

Sign in to start a discussion.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Digestive Tract and Gills of Dormitator maculatus (Perciformes, Eleotridae) from Alvarado Lagoon

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in the digestive tracts and gills of 127 Dormitator maculatus fish from the Alvarado lagoon, recovering 1,134 microplastic particles -- predominantly blue fibers comprising 97.53% of the total -- from both tissue types. The study documents high microplastic ingestion rates in this nearshore fish species and highlights fiber pollution as the dominant microplastic form in the lagoon.

Article Tier 2

Plastic density as a key factor in the presence of microplastic in the gastrointestinal tract of commercial fishes from Campeche Bay, Mexico

Researchers found microplastics in 316 particles across 240 gastrointestinal tracts from six commercially consumed fish species in Campeche Bay, Mexico, with average ingestion of 1.31 MPs per fish, and found that fish feeding in mid-water column tended to ingest denser polymer types reflecting their depth distribution.

Article Tier 2

Ingestion of Plastics in a Wild Population of the Pacific Fat Sleeper (Dormitator latifrons)

This study documented plastic ingestion in the neotropical Pacific fat sleeper fish from an Ecuadorian wetland for the first time, finding plastics in 50% of individuals with an average of 30 particles per fish. Microplastics dominated the ingested plastic load, showing that wetland fish in South America are exposed to plastic pollution.

Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Gastrointestinal Tract and Gills of Fish (Dormitator latifrons) from Monterrico Multiple Use Natural Reserve, Guatemala

Researchers collected fat snook fish (Dormitator latifrons) from a protected estuary in Guatemala and examined their gastrointestinal tracts and gills for microplastics. Microplastics were found in the majority of fish sampled, providing the first data on microplastic ingestion in this protected Central American coastal ecosystem and raising conservation concerns for endemic freshwater fish.

Article Tier 2

First insight into plastics ingestion by fish in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Researchers found that 50% of 1,095 fish examined from 13 species in a tropical estuarine system in the Gulf of California had ingested plastic particles, with all recovered particles being threads and most being small microplastic fibres.

Share this paper