Wrapped up in plastic

Plastic is a versatile material appreciated for its durability and wide applicability in everyday products like food containers, beverage bottles, and medical devices. However, mismanaged plastic waste frequently washes into streams and rivers, where it is consumed by various organisms. To help avoi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in ecology and the environment 2021-02, Vol.19 (1), p.46-46
Main Authors: Ehlers, Sonja M, Al Najjar, Tamara, Koop, Jochen HE
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic insects
Containers
Durability
Food production
Larvae
Medical equipment
Microplastics
Plastic debris
Predators
Salmo trutta
Trichoptera
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Plastic is a versatile material appreciated for its durability and wide applicability in everyday products like food containers, beverage bottles, and medical devices. However, mismanaged plastic waste frequently washes into streams and rivers, where it is consumed by various organisms. To help avoid mortality from potentially crushing predators such as juvenile dragonflies (Odonata) and brown trout (Salmo trutta), the aquatic larvae of caddisflies (Trichoptera) build protective cases. Interestingly, we recently discovered that caddisfly (Lepidostoma basale) larvae use plastic waste as a material for case-building. The question that remains unanswered is how microplastics in caddisfly larval cases may affect predatory fish.
ISSN:1540-9295
1540-9309
DOI:10.1002/fee.2303