Zapata-Restrepo Lina M, Bawden Katherine, Sidaoui-Haddad Giovanna, Spencer Eleanor, Williams Ian D, Hudson Malcolm
School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK.
Institute of Biology, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
Environ Monit Assess. 2025 Apr 12;197(5):544. doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-13975-x.
Microplastics (MPs) are the most abundant type of debris in the marine environment, creating a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems due to their persistence, ability to absorb organic pollutants and potential ingestion by marine fauna. Shellfish are particularly vulnerable to MPs accumulation as they filter large volumes of seawater, and they become an important route for human exposure to these particles. This study, the first to examine MPs in European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) populations, aimed to quantify these particles in the gill and digestive tissues of oysters from the Solent region (southern England). Enzymatic digestion using Proteinase-K was used in this study and MPs were identified in every oyster sampled to determine whether differences in abundance, type and size of MPs exist between locations. Oysters near urban areas contained significantly more MPs than those near rural areas. Fibres were the most prevalent type of MPs, with sizes varying across locations. The study found no significant differences in MPs presence between gills and digestive tissues, and an inverse correlation between the size of MPs and oyster size. The presence of MPs in wild O. edulis could be an additional threat to the survival of an already threatened species and may pose health risks for predatory species and human consumers of seafood. The use of O. edulis as a biomonitoring species for marine MPs pollution could help determine the extent, distribution and sources of MPs, potentially informing management strategies to reduce pollution.
微塑料（MPs）是海洋环境中最常见的垃圾类型，由于其持久性、吸收有机污染物的能力以及被海洋动物摄取的可能性，对水生生态系统构成了重大威胁。贝类特别容易积累微塑料，因为它们会过滤大量海水，并且成为人类接触这些颗粒的重要途径。本研究首次对欧洲扁牡蛎（Ostrea edulis）种群中的微塑料进行检测，旨在量化来自索伦特地区（英格兰南部）牡蛎鳃和消化组织中的这些颗粒。本研究使用蛋白酶K进行酶消化，并在每个采样的牡蛎中识别出微塑料，以确定不同地点之间微塑料的丰度、类型和大小是否存在差异。城市地区附近的牡蛎所含微塑料明显多于农村地区附近的牡蛎。纤维是最常见的微塑料类型，其大小因地点而异。研究发现，鳃和消化组织中微塑料的存在没有显著差异，并且微塑料大小与牡蛎大小呈负相关。野生欧洲扁牡蛎中微塑料的存在可能对一个已经受到威胁的物种的生存构成额外威胁，并可能对捕食性物种和食用海鲜的人类消费者构成健康风险。将欧洲扁牡蛎用作海洋微塑料污染的生物监测物种，有助于确定微塑料的程度、分布和来源，可能为减少污染的管理策略提供信息。
