Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Fishery Resources for Key Fishing Grounds, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Utilization of Technology Research for Fishery Resources of Zhejiang Province, Zhoushan, Zhejiang 316021, PR China.
Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032, PR China.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Apr 20;870:161880. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161880. Epub 2023 Jan 31.
Pollution of microplastics (MPs) has become a potential threat to Antarctic marine ecosystems. However, the occurrence of MPs in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), a keystone species in Antarctic ecosystems, remains unclear. In this study, the abundance and characteristics of MPs were examined in Antarctic krill samples (n = 437) collected from two Antarctic regions. MPs were extracted using an alkali digestion method and analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The mean abundance of MPs in Antarctic krill samples from the South Shetland Islands (n = 355) and the South Orkney Islands (n = 82) were 0.29 ± 0.14 and 0.20 ± 0.083 items/individual, respectively. >90 % of MPs found in Antarctic krill were < 150 μm in size. Fibers represented 77 % and 87 % of the MPs in Antarctic krill samples from the South Shetland Islands and the South Orkney Islands, respectively. Black, blue, and red were the predominant colors of MPs in Antarctic krill, accounting for 32 %, 22 %, and 21 % of the total MPs, respectively. Seven polymer compositions were identified for the MPs in Antarctic krill, with the predominance of polyethylene (37 % of total MPs), followed by polypropylene (22 %) and polyester (21 %). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the occurrence of MPs in Antarctic krill samples. The results of this study are important for evaluating the risks of MP exposure in Antarctic krill.
微塑料（MPs）污染已成为南极海洋生态系统的潜在威胁。然而，南极生态系统关键物种南极磷虾（Euphausia superba）中 MPs 的存在情况尚不清楚。本研究检测了来自南极两个区域的南极磷虾样本（n = 437）中 MPs 的丰度和特征。使用碱消解法提取 MPs，并使用傅里叶变换红外光谱法进行分析。来自南设得兰群岛（n = 355）和南奥克尼群岛（n = 82）的南极磷虾样本中 MPs 的平均丰度分别为 0.29 ± 0.14 和 0.20 ± 0.083 个/个体。在南极磷虾中发现的 >90 %的 MPs 粒径小于 150 μm。纤维分别占南设得兰群岛和南奥克尼群岛南极磷虾样本中 MPs 的 77 %和 87 %。黑色、蓝色和红色是南极磷虾中 MPs 的主要颜色，分别占总 MPs 的 32 %、22 %和 21 %。在南极磷虾中鉴定出 7 种聚合物成分，其中聚乙烯占主导地位（占总 MPs 的 37 %），其次是聚丙烯（22 %）和聚酯（21 %）。据我们所知，这是首次研究 MPs 在南极磷虾样本中的存在情况。本研究结果对于评估南极磷虾中 MPs 暴露的风险具有重要意义。
