Department of Geography, The University of Manchester , Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
Environ Sci Technol. 2017 Nov 7;51(21):12844-12851. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03567. Epub 2017 Oct 25.
Microplastic contamination of the aquatic environment is a global issue. Microplastics can be ingested by organisms leading to negative physiological impacts. The ingestion of microplastics by freshwater invertebrates has not been reported outside the laboratory. Here we demonstrate the ingestion of microplastic particles by Tubifex tubifex from bottom sediments in a major urban waterbody fed by the River Irwell, Manchester, UK. The host sediments had microplastic concentrations ranging from 56 to 2543 particles kg. 87% of the Tubifex-ingested microplastic particles were microfibers (55-4100 μm in length), while the remaining 13% were microplastic fragments (50-4500 μm in length). FT-IR analysis revealed ingestion of a range of polymers, including polyester and acrylic fibers. While microbeads were present in the host sediment matrix, they were not detected in Tubifex worm tissue. The mean concentration of ingested microplastics was 129 ± 65.4 particles g tissue. We also show that Tubifex worms retain microplastics for longer than they retain other particulate components of the ingested sediment matrix. Microplastic ingestion by Tubifex worms poses a significant risk for trophic transfer and biomagnification of microplastics up the aquatic food chain.
微塑料污染是一个全球性的问题。微塑料可能被生物体摄入，导致负面的生理影响。淡水无脊椎动物摄入微塑料的情况在实验室以外尚未有报道。在这里，我们证明了英国曼彻斯特市的主要城市水体从艾尔韦尔河获得补给，其底部沉积物中的颤蚓（Tubifex tubifex）会摄入微塑料颗粒。宿主沉积物中的微塑料浓度范围为 56 至 2543 个颗粒/千克。颤蚓摄入的微塑料颗粒中 87%为微纤维（长度为 55-4100μm），其余 13%为微塑料碎片（长度为 50-4500μm）。FT-IR 分析表明，摄入的聚合物包括聚酯和丙烯酸纤维。尽管宿主沉积物基质中存在微珠，但在颤蚓组织中未检测到。摄入的微塑料的平均浓度为 129 ± 65.4 个颗粒/克组织。我们还表明，颤蚓保留微塑料的时间长于它们保留摄入的沉积物基质中其他颗粒成分的时间。颤蚓摄入微塑料对食物链中微塑料的营养转移和生物放大构成了重大风险。
