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Papers
29 resultsShowing papers from Universidad Autónoma del Carmen
ClearMacroecotoxicological approaches to emerging patterns of microplastic bioaccumulation in crabs from estuarine and marine environments
Smaller, shorter-lived crabs and those from estuarine intertidal/muddy habitats accumulated significantly more microplastics, with burrowing species holding more particles than omnivorous ones. Crabs at lower latitudes -- likely due to mangrove trapping effects -- and non-human-consumed species showed higher microplastic loads, with colorless PA, PP, and PET fibers (1-5 mm) predominating.
Feces and molting as microplastic sinks in a mangrove crab
Researchers tracked how mangrove crabs handle microplastics they ingest from contaminated water over a 56-day experiment. Most of the ingested microplastics passed through the crabs quickly via feces and were also shed during molting, though some accumulated in the liver-like organ. While crabs can expel most microplastics, the study shows they still serve as temporary carriers that could transfer plastic particles to other animals, including humans, through the food web.
Potential ecological risk assessment of microplastics in environmental compartments in Mexico: A meta-analysis
A meta-analysis of microplastic contamination across Mexico's environmental compartments found that 71% of sites assessed by the Polymer Risk Index showed dangerous or high risk levels, driven by hazardous polymer compositions. Marine, estuarine, freshwater, beach, sediment, and biota compartments all showed significant contamination, making this the first comprehensive ecological risk assessment of microplastics in Mexico.
Environmental risk of microplastics in a Mexican coastal lagoon ecosystem: Anthropogenic inputs and its possible human food risk
Researchers found extremely high microplastic concentrations in a Mexican coastal lagoon, with levels hundreds of thousands of times above those in other protected areas. Fishing and urban activities were the main sources, contributing polyethylene and PET fragments. The study estimated that a single serving of locally harvested oysters could expose a person to over 800 microplastic particles.
Impact of mangrove restoration on microplastic bioaccumulation in fiddler crabs across degraded, restored, and natural ecosystems
Researchers compared microplastic accumulation in fiddler crabs across degraded, restored, and natural mangrove ecosystems in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. They found that mangrove restoration influenced the amount and types of microplastics that accumulated in the crabs and surrounding sediment. The study suggests that restoring mangrove habitats may help reduce microplastic exposure for the organisms living within them.
Polyethylene microplastics enhance metal(loid)s toxicity and accumulation in the marine rotifer Proales similis
Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics interact with toxic metals like arsenic, cadmium, copper, and lead in their effects on a tropical marine rotifer. They found that microplastics enhanced the toxicity and accumulation of these metals in the organism, even at realistic environmental concentrations. The study suggests that the combination of microplastics and metal pollutants in marine environments poses a greater risk to aquatic life than either pollutant alone.
Microplastics impair the reproductive behavior and life history traits of the amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis
Researchers exposed a marine amphipod species to polyethylene microplastics for 30 days and tracked the effects on survival, growth, and reproduction. They found that microplastics caused a 50% drop in fertility, tripled the time needed for mating behavior, and reduced newborn survival by 80%. The study demonstrates that even without causing direct mortality, microplastic exposure can severely disrupt the reproductive success and population health of marine organisms.
Can the bioturbation activity of the fiddler crab Minuca rapax modify the distribution of microplastics in sediments?
Researchers investigated whether the bioturbation activity of the fiddler crab Minuca rapax can modify the distribution of microplastics in sediments along an urbanization gradient in the Gulf of Mexico. The study compared microplastic concentrations between burrows, feeding pellets, and crab tissues, finding that microplastics were more abundant and diverse in burrows. Evidence indicates that fiddler crab burrowing and feeding behaviors actively redistribute microplastics within coastal sediments.
Effect of salinity on microplastic accumulation and osmoregulatory toxicity in the fiddler crab Minuca rapax
Researchers studied how water salinity affects the accumulation and toxicity of polyethylene microplastics in fiddler crabs from mangrove environments. They found that microplastics accumulated most heavily in the gills, and that salinity levels influenced both how much plastic the crabs absorbed and how it affected their ability to regulate body fluids. The study reveals that environmental salt conditions play an important role in determining how harmful microplastics are to estuarine organisms.
Combined effects of polymethylmethacrylate microplastics with arsenic and copper on the euryhaline rotifer Proales similis
Researchers studied the combined effects of acrylic microplastics with arsenic and copper on a tiny marine rotifer and found that mixtures were significantly more toxic than any single pollutant alone. Environmentally relevant concentrations of these combined pollutants reduced population growth rates by up to 48 percent. The findings highlight that standard single-chemical toxicity tests may underestimate the real-world risks of microplastics interacting with heavy metals in marine environments.
Dietary Microplastics are Eliminated Through Feces, Causing Metabolic Impairment in the Marine Amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis
Researchers fed marine amphipods a diet containing polyethylene microplastics over 35 days and found that the animals readily ingested and excreted the particles through their feces. While survival and reproduction were not significantly affected, exposed amphipods showed nearly double the oxygen consumption of controls, indicating elevated metabolic costs. The study suggests that even when microplastics pass through the digestive system, they can impose an energy burden on marine organisms.
Effect of combined exposure to mercury and nano/microplastics across twenty successive generations in the marine rotifer Proales similis
Researchers exposed marine rotifers to mercury and nano/microplastics across twenty successive generations to evaluate their combined toxicity. They found that while individual exposures had limited effects, the combination of mercury and microplastics caused significantly lower population growth rates and disrupted feeding behavior, demonstrating a synergistic toxic effect. The study suggests that long-term combined exposure to these common marine pollutants poses greater risks than either pollutant alone.
Microplastic distribution in urban vs pristine mangroves: Using marine sponges as bioindicators of environmental pollution
Researchers collected marine sponges from urban and pristine mangrove environments and measured microplastic content, finding significantly higher MP loads in urban sponges and demonstrating that sessile benthic sponges can serve as effective bioindicators of coastal microplastic pollution.
The synergistic effect of microplastic and malathion exposure on fiddler crab Minuca ecuadoriensis microplastic bioaccumulation and survival
Researchers found that combined exposure to microplastics and the pesticide malathion had a synergistic effect on fiddler crabs, increasing mortality to 80% and boosting microplastic bioaccumulation eightfold compared to microplastic exposure alone.
Synergistic effects of microplastic and lead trigger physiological and biochemical impairment in a mangrove crab
Researchers exposed mangrove fiddler crabs to microplastics and lead, both alone and in combination, to assess their joint toxic effects. They found that co-exposure synergistically increased lead bioaccumulation, oxygen consumption, and lipid peroxidation while suppressing antioxidant enzyme activity. The study suggests that microplastics can amplify the physiological harm of heavy metal contamination in sensitive mangrove ecosystems.
Atmospheric microplastics accumulation rate in a tropical Andean glacier over a hydrological year
Researchers collected an 8-meter ice core from a tropical Andean glacier on the Antisana volcano in Ecuador and reconstructed atmospheric microplastic accumulation rates over a full hydrological year, providing the first temporal reconstruction of microplastic deposition in a tropical alpine cryospheric environment.
Microplastic impacts physiological mechanisms of marine, diadromous, and freshwater crustaceans
Researchers compared the physiological effects of glitter microplastics on marine, diadromous, and freshwater shrimp species at their respective natural salinities, finding species-specific differences in how microplastic exposure affected osmoregulation, oxidative stress, and tissue morphology.
Microplastics transport in a low-inflow estuary at the entrance of the Gulf of California
This study characterized microplastic accumulation and transport pathways in the Estero de Urias lagoon at the entrance of the Gulf of California, finding that tidal dynamics and riverine inputs govern local microplastic distribution in this low-inflow coastal estuary.
Microplastics in a tropical Andean Glacier: A transportation process across the Amazon basin?
Microplastics were detected in an Andean glacier in Peru at high altitude, with atmospheric deposition from Amazonian cities identified as a likely transport pathway, expanding evidence that glacier cryospheres across South America are vulnerable to plastic contamination and may release stored particles as they melt.
Microplastic occurrence and distribution in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador
Sampling of water and sediments throughout the Gulf of Guayaquil estuary in Ecuador revealed extremely high microplastic concentrations — particularly polycarbonate, polystyrene, and polypropylene particles — with levels peaking near the city of Guayaquil. The findings document a largely unreported pollution hotspot in South America and highlight urban wastewater and shrimp farming as key contamination sources requiring management.
Assessing the role of the “estuarine filter” for emerging contaminants: pharmaceuticals, perfluoroalkyl compounds and plasticisers in sediment cores from two contrasting systems in the southern U.K.
Researchers measured seven emerging contaminants including pharmaceuticals, perfluoroalkyl compounds, and plasticisers in dated estuary sediment cores from urban and rural sites in southern UK, finding that estuarine saltmarsh sediments provide limited capacity to trap these mobile pollutants before they reach coastal waters.
Microplastic contamination in wild shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei from the Huizache-Caimanero Coastal lagoon, SE Gulf of California
Researchers found microplastics — predominantly fibers and fragments — in the gastrointestinal tracts, gills, and exoskeletons of wild shrimp from a Gulf of California coastal lagoon, with the gut containing far higher concentrations than other tissues, raising food safety concerns for human consumers.
Ecological traits influence the bioaccumulation of microplastics in commercially important estuarine crabs from the southeastern Gulf of Mexico
Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in two commercially important estuarine crab species in the Gulf of Mexico varied significantly based on ecological traits such as feeding behavior and habitat use, with gills and digestive tracts showing higher contamination than muscle tissue.
An Integrative Approach to Assess the Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining Contamination in the Amazon
Researchers used an integrative four-line-of-evidence approach to assess environmental impacts of gold mining contamination in the Napo province of Ecuador, finding elevated metals in water and sediments, poor macroinvertebrate community quality at 9 of 11 sites, and reduced seed germination in bioassays.