Microplastics in oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and water at the Bahía Blanca Estuary (Southwestern Atlantic): an emerging issue of global concern

FERNÁNDEZ SEVERINI MELISA DAIANA; CHATELAIN SARTOR GABRIELA; BUZZI NATALIA SOL; VILLAGRAN DIANA MARIEL

Regional Studies in Marine Science

Elsevier

Año: 2019

2352-4855

Detection of microplastics (MPs) in biotic and abiotic matrices is relevant to evaluate how the marine ecosystem?sexposure to these pollutants is of emerging environmental concern and at risk of loss of functionality and biodiversity.The presence of MPs was studied for the first time in the gut of benthic oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and in the watercolumn in a eutrophic estuary under high anthropogenic pressure, in the southwestern Atlantic. Significantabundances of small plastic debris were found at all the sampling stations- mainly fibers, fragments, pellets, andbeads. MPs were categorized and counted according to type, color, and size. Microfibers presented the highestpercentage of abundance in the water column (98% with Van Dorn bottles and 72.73 % with a 60 μm plankton net) aswell as in oysters (91%). In water collected with Van Dorn bottles, the total MP concentrations ranged from 5900 to782,000 particles/m3 and from 42.6 to 113.6 particles/m3 in samples collected with a 60 μm plankton net. Thewidespread presence of fibers in all the assessed components could be related to the intense harbor activities in thearea, such as the use of ropes for the mooring of boats and from fishing nets, as well as from domestic and industrialeffluents. The presence of MPs in both the pelagic and benthic realms may imply a risk for the animals that inhabit theestuary, and for human wellbeing, with respect to the potential transfer of MPs through the food web, affecting theprovisioning of ecosystem services