A baseline study of microplastics in the burrowing crab (Neohelice granulata) from a temperate southwestern Atlantic estuary

DIANA M. VILLAGRÁN; DANIELA M. TRUCHET; BUZZI, NATALIA S.; FORERO LOPEZ ANA D; MELISA D. FERNÁNDEZ SEVERINI

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019

0025-326X

Growing evidence has demonstrated that microplastics (MPs) are available for a wide range of marine organisms, with filter-feeding bivalves and crabs being especially vulnerable. The crab Neohelice granulata is considered a key and structuring species in the Bahía Blanca Estuary (BBE) (SW Atlantic) and its ecological role makes this species especially vulnerable to several pollutants. In this study, male specimens of N. granulata and water samples were collected at three sites in the BBE for the presence of MPs. Different types of MPs were found in all the crabs and the water column samples, although the most frequent were fibers