Polyethylene microplastics adhere to Lemna minor (L.), yet have no effects on plant growth or feeding by Gammarus duebeni (Lillj.)

dc.contributor.authorMateos-Cárdenas, Alicia
dc.contributor.authorScott, David T.
dc.contributor.authorSeitmaganbetova, Gulzara
dc.contributor.authorvan Pelt, Frank N.A.M
dc.contributor.authorO'Halloran, John
dc.contributor.authorJansen, Marcel A. K.
dc.contributor.funderEnvironmental Protection Agencyen
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-16T11:05:34Z
dc.date.available2019-08-16T11:05:34Z
dc.date.issued2019-06-24
dc.date.updated2019-08-16T10:55:40Z
dc.description.abstractMicroplastics (1–1000 μm) are ubiquitous in the marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments. These microsized plastics are considered freshwater pollutants of emerging concern, although the impacts on organisms and ecosystems are not yet clear. In particular, effects of microplastics on freshwater aquatic plants and the fate of microplastics in the freshwater trophic chain remain largely unexplored. Here we demonstrate that 10–45 μm polyethylene (PE) microplastics can strongly adsorb to all surfaces of the duckweed species Lemna minor. Despite adsorbance of up to 7 PE microplastics per mm2, seven day exposure experiments showed that photosynthetic efficiency and plant growth are not affected by microplastics. Rather, dense surface coverage suggests L. minor as a potential vector for the trophic transfer of microplastics. Here we show that the freshwater amphipod Gammarus duebeni can ingest 10–45 μm PE microplastics by feeding on contaminated L. minor. In this study, ingestion of microplastics had no apparent impact on amphipod mortality or mobility after 24 or 48 h exposure. Yet, the feeding study showed that the fate of microplastics in the environment may be complex, involving both plant adsorbance and trophic transfer.en
dc.description.sponsorshipEnvironmental Protection Agency, Ireland (“Impacts of Microplastics in the Irish Freshwater Environment (IMP)” project no.2016-W-MS-23 as part of their EPA research programme 2014-2020)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationMateos-Cárdenas, A., Scott, D. T., Seitmaganbetova, G., Frank N.A.M, v. P., John, O. H. and Marcel A.K, J. (2019) 'Polyethylene microplastics adhere to Lemna minor (L.), yet have no effects on plant growth or feeding by Gammarus duebeni (Lillj.)', Science of The Total Environment, 689, pp. 413-421. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.359en
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.359en
dc.identifier.endpage421en
dc.identifier.issn0048-9697
dc.identifier.journaltitleScience of The Total Environmenten
dc.identifier.startpage413en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/8346
dc.identifier.volume689en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherElsevieren
dc.relation.urihttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719329328
dc.rights© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.subjectMicroplasticsen
dc.subjectPolyethyleneen
dc.subjectFreshwateren
dc.subjectAquatic plantsen
dc.subjectFreshwater macroinvertebratesen
dc.subjectEcotoxicologyen
dc.subjectTrophic transferen
dc.titlePolyethylene microplastics adhere to Lemna minor (L.), yet have no effects on plant growth or feeding by Gammarus duebeni (Lillj.)en
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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