Uptake and retention of microplastics by the shore crab Carcinus maenas.

摘要: Microplastics, plastics particles <5 mm in length, are a widespread pollutant of the marine environment. Oral ingestion microplastics has been reported for wide range biota, but uptake into body by other routes received less attention. Here, we test hypothesis that shore crab (Carcinus maenas) can take up through inspiration across gills as well pre-exposed food (common mussel Mytilus edulis). We used fluorescently labeled polystyrene microspheres (8–10 μm) to show ingested were retained within tissues crabs 14 days following and 21 gill, with significantly higher posterior versus anterior gills. Multiphoton imaging suggested most foregut after dietary exposure due adherence hairlike setae found on external surface aqueous exposure. Results used...