'La Sapienza' University of Rome, Department of Environmental Biology, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, RM, Italy; ISPRA, Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via di Castel Romano 100, 00128 Rome, RM, Italy.
'La Sapienza' University of Rome, Department of Environmental Biology, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, RM, Italy.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Aug 10;885:163875. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163875. Epub 2023 May 5.
This study provides a pilot investigation of the relationship between microplastic ingestion and the trophic ecology of three pelagic fish species (Engraulis encrasicolus, Scomber scombrus, and Trachurus trachurus) from Anzio coast, Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Stable isotope analysis has been performed to determine the trophic position and the isotopic niche of the three species. Then, data on the occurrence, abundance, and diversity of ingested microplastics have been analyzed considering the observed foraging patterns. The detected differences in the estimated trophic position (E. encrasicolus = 3.08 ± 0.18; S. scombrus = 3.57 ± 0.21; T. trachurus = 4.07 ± 0.21), together with the absence of overlap in the isotopic niches confirm that the three examined species cover different ecological roles within the coastal-pelagic food web. Results from the analysis of ingested microplastics show that the trophic position has no remarkable effects on the incidence of microplastic ingestion, with no significant differences detected in terms of both frequency of occurrence and number of ingested microplastics per individual. However, differences among species emerge when considering the diversity of ingested microplastic types in terms of shape, size, color, and polymer composition. Species at higher trophic levels have shown to ingest a greater diversity of microplastics, including a significant increase in the size of the ingested particles (median surface area: 0.011 mm in E. encrasicolus; 0.021 mm in S. scombrus; 0.036 mm in T. trachurus). The ingestion of larger microplastics might be due to the larger gape sizes but also to active selection mechanisms, likely stimulated by the similarity of these particles to natural or potential prey of both S. scombrus and T. trachurus. Overall, this study suggests that microplastic ingestion can be affected by the different trophic position of fish species, providing new insights about the impact of microplastic contamination on the pelagic community.
本研究对来自安齐奥海岸（第勒尼安海西部海域）的三种洄游性鱼类（鲱鱼、鲐鱼和金枪鱼）体内微塑料摄入与营养生态关系进行了初步探讨。本研究采用稳定同位素分析方法，以确定三种鱼类的营养位置和同位素生态位。然后，根据观察到的觅食模式，分析了摄入微塑料的发生、丰度和多样性数据。所检测到的估计营养位置（E. encrasicolus = 3.08 ± 0.18；S. scombrus = 3.57 ± 0.21；T. trachurus = 4.07 ± 0.21）的差异，以及同位素生态位的无重叠，证实了这三种被研究的鱼类在沿海-洄游食物网中扮演着不同的生态角色。摄入微塑料的分析结果表明，营养位置对微塑料摄入的发生率没有显著影响，个体摄入微塑料的频率和数量都没有显著差异。然而，当考虑到不同物种摄入的微塑料类型的多样性时，包括形状、大小、颜色和聚合物组成，就会出现物种间的差异。处于较高营养级的物种摄入的微塑料种类更多，包括摄入颗粒的尺寸显著增加（E. encrasicolus 的中值表面积为 0.011mm；S. scombrus 为 0.021mm；T. trachurus 为 0.036mm）。较大的微塑料可能是由于口裂较大，也可能是由于对 S. scombrus 和 T. trachurus 的天然或潜在猎物的相似性而产生的主动选择机制。总的来说，本研究表明，鱼类的不同营养位置可能会影响微塑料的摄入，并为微塑料污染对洄游性群落的影响提供新的见解。
