Microplastics do not affect the feeding rates of a marine predator

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dc.contributor.authorCunningham, Eoghan M.
dc.contributor.authorCuthbert, Ross N.
dc.contributor.authorCoughlan, Neil E.
dc.contributor.authorKregting, Louise
dc.contributor.authorCairnduff, Victoria
dc.contributor.authorDick, Jaimie T. A.
dc.contributor.funderDepartment of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, UK Governmenten
dc.contributor.funderAlexander von Humboldt-Stiftungen
dc.contributor.funderEnvironmental Protection Agencyen
dc.contributor.funderQueen's University Belfasten
dc.date.accessioned2021-04-19T12:01:09Z
dc.date.available2021-04-19T12:01:09Z
dc.date.issued2021-03-17
dc.date.updated2021-04-19T11:40:31Z
dc.description.abstractMicroplastics may affect the physiology, behaviour and populations of aquatic and terrestrial fauna through many mechanisms, such as direct consumption and sensory disruption. However, the majority of experimental studies have employed questionably high dosages of microplastics that have little environmental relevance. Predation, in particular, is a key trophic interaction that structures populations and communities and influences ecosystem functioning, but rarely features in microplastic research. Here, we quantify the effects of low (~65â 114 MP/L) and high (~650â 1140 MP/L) microplastic concentrations on the feeding behaviour of a ubiquitous and globally representative key marine predator, the shore crab, Carcinus maenas. We used a functional response approach (predator consumption across prey densities) to determine crab consumption rates towards a key marine community prey species, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis, under low and high microplastic concentrations with acute (8h) and chronic (120h) microplastic exposure times. For both the acute and chronic microplastic exposure experiments, proportional prey consumption by crabs did not differ with respect to microplastic concentration, but significantly decreased over increasing prey densities. The crabs thus displayed classical, hyperbolic Type II functional responses in all experimental groups, characterised by high consumption rates at low prey densities. Crab attack rates, handling times and maximum feeding rates (i.e. functional response curves) were not significantly altered under lower or higher microplastics concentrations, or by acute or chronic microplastic exposures. Here, we show that functional response analyses could be widely employed to ascertain microplastic impacts on consumer-resource interactions. Furthermore, we suggest that future studies should adopt both acute and chronic microplastic exposure regimes, using environmentally-relevant microplastic dosages and types as well as elevated future scenarios of microplastic concentrations.en
dc.description.sponsorshipEnvironmental Protection Agency (Project “Newtrients” - EPA Research Programme 2014–2020: 2016-W-LS-11); Queen's University Belfast (G&M Williams Fund)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid146487en
dc.identifier.citationCunningham, E. M., Cuthbert, R. N., Coughlan, N. E., Kregting, L., Cairnduff, V. and Dick, J. T. A. (2021) 'Microplastics do not affect the feeding rates of a marine predator', Science of the Total Environment, 779, 146487 (7pp). doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146487en
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146487en
dc.identifier.eissn1879-1026
dc.identifier.endpage7en
dc.identifier.issn0048-9697
dc.identifier.journaltitleScience of the Total Environmenten
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/11209
dc.identifier.volume779en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherElsevier B.V.en
dc.rights© 2021, Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.subjectAnimal behaviouren
dc.subjectBlue musselen
dc.subjectFunctional responseen
dc.subjectPollutantsen
dc.subjectShore craben
dc.subjectSynthetic polymersen
dc.titleMicroplastics do not affect the feeding rates of a marine predatoren
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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