Impact of microplastic uptake: contamination in sprat and microplastic-mediated uptake of PAHs by European shore crab
Vanpoucke, M.Z. (2015). Impact of microplastic uptake: contamination in sprat and microplastic-mediated uptake of PAHs by European shore crab. MSc Thesis. ILVO: Oostende. 46 pp.
Plastic pollution is a worldwide phenomenon that is receiving an increasing amount of attention by the scientific community. In this thesis, 2 aspects of potential impact on marine biota were approached. First of all, S. sprattus, caught in the BPNS between March 2013 and March 2015, were subjected to acid destruction of the stomach, in order to determine number of ingested microplastics. Microplastics were observed in 38.74% of examined fish. On average, fish had ingested 0.58 ± 0.88 microplastics, of which the majority (78.13%) consisted of fibres, ranging from 97 to 4,869μm. Our results reveal no significant spatial or temporal variation, nor direct impact on overall condition of fish.The second focal point of this study lies on microplastic-mediated uptake and transfer of PAHs. Therefore C. maenas individuals were exposed for 3 weeks to jellified food containing PAHs and/or microplastics, PAH-loaded microplastics or none of the previous, depending on treatment group. Following the three weeks of exposure and two weeks of depuration, tissue was analysed by GC-MS. Results indicate no significant uptake of light PAHs and a significant uptake of heavier PAHs from feeding cubes. Microplastics seem to have only a minor impact on the uptake and accumulation of PAHs by C. maenas but further research is needed.
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