Disentangling the influence of microplastics and their chemical additives on a model detritivore system.
Environ Pollut
; 307: 119558, 2022 Aug 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35654254
ABSTRACT
Microplastics (MPs) can negatively impact freshwater organisms via physical effects of the polymer itself and/or exposure to chemicals added to plastic during production to achieve desired characteristics. Effects on organisms may result from direct exposure to plastic particles and/or chemical additives or effects may manifest as indirect effects through ecological interactions between organisms (e.g., reduced food availability that impairs a consumer). To disentangle these issues, we used a simplified freshwater food web interaction comprising microbes and macroinvertebrate detritivores to evaluate the toxicity of 1) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) MPs without added chemicals (virgin), 2) the common chemical additive dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and 3) PVC MPs with incorporated DBP. Exposure to virgin PVC MPs (0.33 and 3.3 mg/L) caused negligible ecological effect with the exception of reduced macroinvertebrate feeding rates at 3.3 mg/L. Exposure to DBP (1 mg/L) both individually and when incorporated into the PVC MPs negatively impacted all tested endpoints, including microbial and macroinvertebrate respiration, feeding rate and assimilation efficiency. DBP leached rapidly from the MPs into the water, and also accumulated in macroinvertebrates and their food, providing multiple routes of exposure. Our findings suggest that additives which are intentionally incorporated into MPs could play a key role in MP toxicity and contribute to the disruption of key ecological interactions underpinning ecosystem processes, such as leaf litter decomposition.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Poluentes Químicos da Água
/
Microplásticos
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article