Pyrolysis-GC–MS analysis of ingested polystyrene microsphere content in individual Daphnia magna

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2022-04, Vol.817, p.152981-152981, Article 152981
• Main Authors: Nakano, Risa, Gürses, Rıdvan Kaan, Tanaka, Yuji, Ishida, Yasuyuki, Kimoto, Takashi, Kitagawa, Shinya, Iiguni, Yoshinori, Ohtani, Hajime
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic environment; Chlorella vulgaris; Daphnia; Feeding test; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Microplastics; Microspheres; Plastics; Polystyrenes - analysis; Py-GC–MS; Pyrolysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.152981

Microplastic (MP) pollution in the aquatic environment is a cause for increasing concern. However, analyzing MPs ingested by small organisms, such as zooplankton, is difficult because of the low content and small size of the ingested MPs. We attempted to determine the content of ingested MPs in individual zooplankton using pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC–MS). To establish zooplankton model of MP ingestion, individual Daphnia magna were cultivated separately in microplate cells with polystyrene (PS) microspheres (10 μm in diameter, 245,000 particles, 135 μg) under different conditions. To prepare calibration curves for determining ingested PS content, approximately 100–150 μg of commercially available Daphnia-based powdered fish food, roughly corresponding to the weight of a single D. magna organism, was mixed with PS microspheres (0.005–26 μg) and analyzed using Py-GC–MS at 600 °C. In the resulting pyrograms, peaks of the styrene monomer and trimer from PS were detected, and linear relationships were obtained between the relative peak area and the amount of added PS. Finally, the cultivated zooplankton were individually subjected to Py-GC–MS analysis, and the ingested PS content in each zooplankton was successfully determined. Individual zooplankton cultured with PS in the absence of food ingested 2.3–7.9 μg of PS particles, whereas that in the presence of food (Chlorella vulgaris) ingested only 0.1–0.2 μg of PS particles. This result suggests that zooplankton might preferentially ingest ordinary food when both food and MPs are present, although further systematic studies are necessary to validate this observation. [Display omitted] •Py-GC–MS was used to determine MP content in individual zooplankton.•Daphnia magna organisms were fed polystyrene microspheres to establish models.•The content of PS ingested in single D. magna was successfully quantified.•The effect of typical zooplankton food on MP ingestion was also tested.