Microplastics in different tissues of the crab Neohelice granulata in an estuary in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina

ARDUSSO MAIALEN; TRUCHET, DANIELA M.; FORERO LOPEZ, ANA D.; BUZZI, NATALIA S.; FERNANDEZ SEVERINI, MELISA D.

Encuentro Virtual

Encuentro; (SETAC) Latin America 14th Biennial Meeting, conducted virtually; 2021

SETAC Latino America

Microplastics (MPs), < 5mm, can be found worldwide, especially in aquatic ecosystems. In these habitats, MPs can affect different organisms in diverse ways. Some research suggests that crabs can also accumulate MPs and may be at high risk, not only due to their diet but also through their gills. It is significant considering that crabs are essential players in aquatic ecosystems, with an important work of bioturbation, being transition animals in the marine food web. The present work classifies (according to shape, size, and color) the MPs and analyzes their abundance in different tissues -gills (Gs), digestive systems (DS), and shells- in females and males of a resident crab,Neohelice granulata. Water and sediment samples associated with crabs were also analyzed. The crabs were collected at two different sites in the Bahía Blanca estuary: Puerto Cuatreros (PC), in the inner zone, and Puerto Rosales (PR), in the middle zone. Fibers were the most abundantparticles, with 66%, followed by the fragments with 24%. The remaining corresponded to films and pellets. Transparent items were the predominant (44%), followed by black (17%) and blue colors (16%). The most frequent sizes were < 0.5mm with 44%, followed by sizes between 1 and 5 mm (29%). The PC crabs presented higher amounts of MPs in their tissues compared to those of PR. This agrees with the condition index, lower for the PC crabs (39.79 ± 13.96 vs 43.12 ±16.44). However, this index and MPs amount did not show significant differences between the different sites. The Gs show a higher number of MPs than the DS, both in PC and PR crabs, but without significant differences within and between sites (p> 0.25). The amount of MPs in shells for the PC crabs was 0.66 ± 0.6 ítems/shell and 1.33 ± 0.6 ítems/shell for those of PR. The content of MPs in sediment samples for R were higher than PC, with a significant difference, and the oppositehappened with the water samples. MPs both in Gs and in the DS are due to its close association with the sediment, as a deposit feeder and cave builder, and with water, for being a semi-terrestrial species. The presence of MPs in their shells shows that the bioturbation processes can remove and mix the sediment and these contaminants, adhering to their bodies. These studies will allow us to know the health status of the organisms and their ecosystems and the dynamics that MPs may have. Determining the types of polymers in the different samples will provide valuable data for reaching more complete conclusions.