Institute of Biomedical & Environmental Health Research (IBEHR), University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE Scotland, United Kingdom.
Institute of Biomedical & Environmental Health Research (IBEHR), University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, PA1 2BE Scotland, United Kingdom.
Environ Pollut. 2018 Mar;234:487-494. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.11.029. Epub 2017 Dec 21.
Microplastic pollution has been a growing concern in the aquatic environment for several years. The abundance of microplastics in the environment has invariably led them to interact with a variety of different aquatic species. The small size of microplastics may make them bioavailable to a great range of species however, the impact this may have is not fully understood. Much of the research on microplastic pollution has focused on the marine environment and species with little research undertaken in freshwater. Here we examine the effect of microplastics on the freshwater cnidarian, Hydra attenuata. This study also describes the development and use of a bioassay to investigate the impact of microplastic on freshwater organisms. Hydra attenuata play a vital role in the planktonic make up of slow moving freshwater bodies which they inhabit and are sensitive environmental indicators. Hydra attenuata were exposed to polyethylene flakes (<400 ìm) extracted from facewash at different concentrations (Control, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08 g mL). The ecologically relevant endpoint of feeding was measured by determining the amount of prey consumed (Artemia salina) after 30 and 60 min. The amount of microplastics ingested was also recorded at 30 min and 60 min. After which Hydra attenuata were transferred to clean media and observed after 3, 24, 48 & 96 h with changes in their morphology and reproduction (Hydranth numbers) recorded. The results of this study show that Hydra attenuata are capable of ingesting microplastics, with several individuals completely filling their gastric cavities. Significant reductions in feeding rates were observed after 30 min in 0.02 & 0.08 g mL and after 60 min in 0.04 & 0.08 g mL exposures. Exposure to the microplastics caused significant changes to the morphology of Hydra attenuata, however these changes were non-lethal. This study demonstrates that freshwater Hydra attenuata is capable of ingesting microplastics and that microplastic can significantly impact the feeding of freshwater organisms.
微塑料污染在水生环境中已经成为一个日益严重的问题。环境中微塑料的丰富程度不可避免地导致它们与各种不同的水生物种相互作用。微塑料的小尺寸可能使它们对大量物种具有生物可利用性，但这种影响尚未完全了解。大多数关于微塑料污染的研究都集中在海洋环境和物种上，而在淡水中进行的研究很少。在这里，我们研究了微塑料对淡水腔肠动物 Hydra attenuata 的影响。本研究还描述了一种生物测定法的开发和应用，以研究微塑料对淡水生物的影响。Hydra attenuata 在它们栖息的缓慢移动的淡水生物群落中起着至关重要的作用，是敏感的环境指标。Hydra attenuata 暴露于从洗面奶中提取的聚乙烯薄片（<400 μm）中，浓度分别为（对照、0.01、0.02、0.04、0.08 g mL）。通过确定 30 和 60 分钟后消耗的猎物（卤虫）的量来测量生态相关的摄食终点。还记录了 30 分钟和 60 分钟时摄入的微塑料量。之后，将 Hydra attenuata 转移到清洁的介质中，并在 3、24、48 和 96 小时后观察它们的形态和繁殖（水螅数量）的变化。这项研究的结果表明，Hydra attenuata 能够摄入微塑料，有几个个体完全填满了它们的胃腔。在 0.02 和 0.08 g mL 暴露 30 分钟后，以及在 0.04 和 0.08 g mL 暴露 60 分钟后，观察到摄食率显著降低。微塑料暴露导致 Hydra attenuata 的形态发生显著变化，但这些变化是非致命的。本研究表明，淡水 Hydra attenuata 能够摄入微塑料，微塑料可以显著影响淡水生物的摄食。
