Presence of microplastics in benthic and epibenthic organisms: Influence of habitat, feeding mode and trophic level

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2018-12, Vol.243 (Pt B), p.1217-1225
• Main Authors: Bour, Agathe, Avio, Carlo Giacomo, Gorbi, Stefania, Regoli, Francesco, Hylland, Ketil
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Aquatic Organisms - chemistry; ates of america; Bivalvia; demersal; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Sciences & Ecology; exposure; Field study; fish; Fishes; Food Chain; Ingestion; invertebrates; marine-environment; Microplastics; Miljövetenskap; mu FT-IR; mytilus-edulis; north-sea; Norway; p2430; Plastics - analysis; Polymers; polystyrene microplastics; Seafood - analysis; sediments; v113; water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; μFT-IR
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.09.115

The exponential production and use of plastics has generated increasing environmental release over the past decades, and microplastics (MPs) have been reported across all the oceans. Field studies have documented the occurrence of MPs in several species, but important knowledge gaps still remain. In the present study, we characterized the distribution of MPs in ten sediment-dwelling and epibenthic species representative of different habitat, feeding modes and trophic levels within the inner Oslofjord (Oslo, Norway), an area subjected to moderate anthropogenic pressures. Analysed species included fish, bivalves, echinoderms, crustaceans and polychaetes. MPs were present in all the species with a frequency up to 65% of positive individuals for some species. In most cases, 1 or 2 MPs were found per individual, but some organisms contained up to 7 particles. A total of 8 polymer typologies were identified, with PE and PP being the most common according to our extraction protocol. MP sizes ranged from 41 μm to lines as long as 9 mm. Our results indicate that occurrence of MPs in analysed biota is not influenced by organism habitat or trophic level, while characteristics and typology of polymers might be significantly affected by feeding mode of organisms. [Display omitted] •The presence of microplastics (MPs) was analysed in biota from a Norwegian fjord.•MPs were found in all species sampled.•PE and PP are the polymers most found.•MPs smaller than 200 μm account for more than 58% of the total extracted MPs.•Presence of MPs is influenced by feeding mode, but not habitat or trophic level. This field study investigates the influence of three major parameters, habitat, feeding mode and trophic level, on the presence of microplastics in benthic and epibenthic organisms.