Babkiewicz Ewa, Nowakowska Julita, Zebrowski Marcin L, Kunijappan Selvaraj, Jarosińska Katarzyna, Maciaszek Rafał, Zebrowski Jacek, Jurek Krzysztof, Maszczyk Piotr
Department of Hydrobiology, Institute of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 00-927, Poland.
Biological and Chemical Research Centre, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 02-089, Poland.
Environ Sci Technol. 2025 Mar 25;59(11):5693-5703. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.4c08909. Epub 2025 Mar 14.
Most studies on the effects of organisms on microplastic characteristics have focused on microorganisms, while the impact of animal feeding behavior, particularly in aquatic species like fish and decapod crustaceans, has been less explored. This study examines how polyethylene spherical microplastics (275 μm in diameter) passing through the digestive tracts of crucian carp () and Australian crayfish () affect surface properties, particle size, and bacterial colonization. The species were fed diets with or without microplastics. The particles underwent two rounds of passage through the digestive tracts and were then exposed to known bacterial densities. Surface damage, size, and biofilm coverage were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, while alterations in surface chemical composition were assessed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance, and the formation and penetration of nanoplastics in gut tissues and glands were determined using Py-GC/MS. Results show that the passage significantly altered surface properties and reduced microplastic size, without affecting chemical composition or nanoplastic penetration into tissues. These changes promoted bacterial colonization compared to controls. The findings suggest that animal feeding activity may play an important role in the mechanical fragmentation of microplastics in aquatic environments, potentially leading to their faster degradation.
大多数关于生物体对微塑料特性影响的研究都集中在微生物上，而动物摄食行为的影响，尤其是在鱼类和十足目甲壳类等水生物种中的影响，尚未得到充分探索。本研究考察了直径275μm的聚乙烯球形微塑料通过鲫鱼（）和澳洲淡水龙虾（）的消化道后，对其表面性质、粒径和细菌定殖的影响。给这些物种投喂含或不含微塑料的饲料。微塑料颗粒经过两轮消化道传递后，再暴露于已知的细菌密度环境中。使用扫描电子显微镜分析表面损伤、粒径和生物膜覆盖情况，通过衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱评估表面化学成分的变化，并使用热解气相色谱/质谱法测定肠道组织和腺体中纳米塑料的形成和渗透情况。结果表明，微塑料通过消化道后显著改变了其表面性质并减小了粒径，但未影响其化学成分或纳米塑料向组织中的渗透。与对照组相比，这些变化促进了细菌定殖。研究结果表明，动物的摄食活动可能在水生环境中微塑料的机械破碎过程中发挥重要作用，这可能会导致微塑料更快降解。
