Presence of microplastic in the Patella caerulea from the northeastern Mediterranean Sea.

This study reports first evidence of microplastic detection in the Patella caerulea collected from 5 different stations located in Iskenderun Bay and Mersin Bay. A total of 160 P. caerulea specimens were examined and 40 of them contained MPs in their soft tissues. The number of microplastics extracted per sample varied from 0.20 ± 0.5 items/ind to 0.45 ± 0.7 items/ind depending on station. Fibers were predominant type of MPs and accounted for 75 % to 87.5 % of total extracted MPs, followed by fragments (12.5-25 %). Majority of MPs were 0.5-1 mm size and black in color. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the extracted MPs were polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high density polyethylene (HDPE). This study contributes to the knowledge of the transfer of microplastics to the marine food web and highlights the need for protective measurements.

Detection of microplastic fibers tangle in deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris, Lucas, 1846) in the northeastern Mediterranean Sea.

Microplastic (MP) pollution in marine environments has been a major global concern in recent years. Microplastic particles pose a threat in aquatic animals by accumulating in their digestive system, acting like a pollution vector, and they can also transfer to upper trophic levels. For that reason, commercially important deep-water rose shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris were employed in this study to examine the MP pollution status of two different regions (Samandag and Mersin offshore waters) of the northeastern Mediterranean Sea. MPs were detected in all examined specimens (average of 18.8 MPs ind-1), and fiber tangle-shaped like balls were observed by 22% and 9% at Samandag and Mersin, respectively. P. longirostris individuals from Samandag showed higher occurrence (100%) and higher accumulation (29.7 ± 24.4 MPs ind-1). MP abundance extracted from the shrimp individuals from Samandag region was higher than that of previously reported shrimp species. The majority of extracted microplastics were fiber (100%), black (46%) in color and 1-2.5 mm in size. Polyethylene was identified as the most common polymer type by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). This study is the first report to evaluate microplastic occurrence and fiber tangles in P. longirostris from northeastern Mediterranean Sea. Results obtained in this study will enhance the understanding of MP pollution among different trophic levels.

First record of microplastic occurence at the commercial fish from Orontes River.

Freshwater environments are more sensitive to anthropogenic influences and usually contain higher concentrations of pollutants than marine environments. Microplastic pollution causes additional stress on freshwater animals; yet, studies evaluating the microplastic occurrence in freshwater biota are still limited. In this study, microplastic occurrence in the gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) and gill of commercial fish species (Prussian carp Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782); Abu mullet Planiliza abu (Heckel, 1843); Common carp Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758; European ell Anguilla Anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758); North African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822); Goldfish Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) were reported from Orontes River. MPs abundance in the GIT and gill of six species were found as 5.1 ± 2 MPs fish-1 and 4.4 ± 2 MPs fish-1 with an occurrence of 95% and 74%, respectively. The majority of extracted microplastics were fiber, black and less than 1000 µm in size. FTIR analysis determined the main polymer types as polyester (50%), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (10%), polypropylene (PP) (8%) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (5%). High MPs abundance and frequency of occurence indicate the exposure of microplastic pollution in freshwater biota which could threat the health of both individuals and consumers. Results obtained in this study will increase the acknowledgement of MPs pollution in the Orontes River. Also, this study will provide data to the administrators to set up necessary legislations in freshwater ecosystems.

Microplastic occurrence in the gastrointestinal tract and gill of bioindicator fish species in the northeastern Mediterranean.

Microplastic pollution is an extremely emerging problem and its potential threats to the aquatic organisms were investigated worldwide. In this study, four different commercial fish species (Mullus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758), Mullus surmuletus (Linnaeus, 1758), Mugil cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758), Saurida undosquamis (Richardson, 1848)) were used as a bioindicator to assess the microplastic pollution in the northeastern Mediterranean. The frequency of occurrence in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and gill was varied between 66-100% and 68-90%, respectively. The highest microplastic abundance was detected at the GIT of M. cephalus sampled from Asi River estuary. The majority of extracted microplastics were fiber, black in color and less than 1 mm in size. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the most common polymer type as polyethylene. This study is the first study examining the microplastic existence in gill and results obtained in this study improve the knowledge about the relationship of microplastic ingestion in fish and environmental conditions in the Northeastern Mediterranean Sea.

Adsorption of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions by Lemna minor L.: effect of physicochemical environment.

The free floating macrophyte Lemna minor L. was harvested locally. Untreated, acid pretreated (H2SO4), alkali pretreated (NaOH) biomass were used for adsorption of copper, cadmium and nickel ions from aqueous solutions. The effect of initial pH, initial metal concentration and multi metal interaction were carried out in a batch system. The equilibrium adsorption was reached within 40-60 min. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were used for describing of adsorption isotherm data. The maximum adsorption capacities of alkali pretreated biomass were determined as 83, 69 and 59 mg g(-1) for the Cd(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions, respectively. The pseudo first- and second-order intraparticle diffusion models were used to describe the adsorption kinetics. The experimental data fitted to pseudo second-order kinetic. Adsorption capacity decreased with acid pretreatment; however alkali pretreatment was not affected significantly adsorption capacity and adsorption capacity a little increased according to native biomass. The FT-IR results of Lemna biomass showed that biomass has different functional groups and these functional groups are able to react with metal ions in aqueous solution.