Marine debris and Microplastics Research Center, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, No. 42 Linghe Street, Dalian, 116023, China.
Marine debris and Microplastics Research Center, National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, No. 42 Linghe Street, Dalian, 116023, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, No. 1 Linghai Road, Dalian, 116026, China.
Chemosphere. 2019 Nov;234:123-131. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.05.267. Epub 2019 May 30.
Microplastics are a ubiquitous contaminant of marine ecosystems that have received considerable global attention. The effects of microplastic ingestion on some marine biota have been evaluated, but the uptake, elimination, and histopathological impacts of microplastics remain under-investigated especially for zooplankton larvae. Here, we show that 10 μm polystyrene microspheres can be ingested and egested by Artemia parthenogenetica larvae, which impact their health. The results indicate that A. parthenogenetica larvae have a varying capacity to consume 10 μm polystyrene microspheres that is dependent on microplastic exposure concentrations, exposure times, and the availability of food. The lowest level of microplastics that was ingested by A. parthenogenetica was 0.15 particles/individual when exposed to 10 particles/mL and 0.05 particles/individual when exposed to 1 particle/mL over 24 h and 14 d, respectively. A. parthenogenetica larvae were able to egest feces with microplastics within 3 h of ingestion. However, ingested microplastics persisted in individuals for up to 14 days. Furthermore, microalgal feeding was significantly reduced by 27.2% in the presence of 10 particles/mL microplastics over 24 h. Histological analyses indicated that a greater abundance of lipid droplets was present among epithelia after 24 h of exposure at a concentration of 10 particles/mL. Moreover, intestinal epithelia were deformed and disorderedly arranged after 14 d of exposure. Overall, these results indicate that marine microplastic pollution could pose a threat to A. parthenogenetica health, especially that of larvae. Consequently, further research is required to evaluate the potential physiological and histopathological effects of microplastics for other marine invertebrate species.
微塑料是海洋生态系统中普遍存在的污染物，已受到全球广泛关注。已经评估了微塑料摄入对一些海洋生物群的影响，但微塑料的吸收、消除和组织病理学影响仍未得到充分研究，特别是对于浮游动物幼虫。在这里，我们表明，10 μm 聚苯乙烯微球可以被卤虫无节幼体幼虫摄入和排出，这会影响它们的健康。结果表明，卤虫无节幼体幼虫消耗 10 μm 聚苯乙烯微球的能力因微塑料暴露浓度、暴露时间和食物的可用性而异。当暴露于 10 个/mL 时，卤虫无节幼体摄入的最低水平为 0.15 个/个体，当暴露于 1 个/mL 时，0.05 个/个体，分别为 24 h 和 14 d。卤虫无节幼体幼虫在摄入后 3 h 内即可排出带有微塑料的粪便。然而，摄入的微塑料在个体中可持续存在长达 14 天。此外，在存在 10 个/mL 微塑料的情况下，微藻类的摄食在 24 h 内显著降低了 27.2%。组织学分析表明，在 10 个/mL 的浓度下暴露 24 h 后，上皮细胞中存在更多的脂滴。此外，暴露 14 d 后，肠上皮细胞变形且排列无序。总的来说，这些结果表明，海洋微塑料污染可能对卤虫无节幼体的健康构成威胁，特别是幼虫。因此，需要进一步研究来评估微塑料对其他海洋无脊椎动物物种的潜在生理和组织病理学影响。
