TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of microplastics in Peruvian mangrove sediments and edible mangrove species
AU - Aguirre-Sanchez, Angelica
AU - Purca, Sara
AU - Cole, Matthew
AU - Indacochea, Aldo G.
AU - Lindeque, Penelope K.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Mangrove ecosystems have been hypothesised as a potential sink of microplastic debris, which could pose a threat to mangrove biota and ecological function. In this field-study we establish the prevalence of microplastics in sediments and commercially-exploited Anadara tuberculosa (black ark) and Ucides occidentalis (mangrove crab) from five different zones in the mangrove ecosystem of Tumbes, Peru. Microplastic were evident in all samples, with an average of 726 ± 396 microplastics/kg for the sediment, although no differences between the different zones of the mangrove ecosystem were observed. Microplastic concentrations were 1.6± 1.1 items/g for the black ark and 1.9 ± 0.9 microplastics/g for the mangrove crab, with a difference in the microplastic abundance between species (p < 0.05), and between the gills and stomachs of the crab (p < 0.01). Human intake of microplastics from these species, for the population in Tumbes, is estimated at 431 items per capita per year. The outcomes of this work highlight that the mangrove ecosystem is widely contaminated with microplastics, presenting a concern for the marine food web and food security.
AB - Mangrove ecosystems have been hypothesised as a potential sink of microplastic debris, which could pose a threat to mangrove biota and ecological function. In this field-study we establish the prevalence of microplastics in sediments and commercially-exploited Anadara tuberculosa (black ark) and Ucides occidentalis (mangrove crab) from five different zones in the mangrove ecosystem of Tumbes, Peru. Microplastic were evident in all samples, with an average of 726 ± 396 microplastics/kg for the sediment, although no differences between the different zones of the mangrove ecosystem were observed. Microplastic concentrations were 1.6± 1.1 items/g for the black ark and 1.9 ± 0.9 microplastics/g for the mangrove crab, with a difference in the microplastic abundance between species (p < 0.05), and between the gills and stomachs of the crab (p < 0.01). Human intake of microplastics from these species, for the population in Tumbes, is estimated at 431 items per capita per year. The outcomes of this work highlight that the mangrove ecosystem is widely contaminated with microplastics, presenting a concern for the marine food web and food security.
KW - Black ark
KW - Mangrove crab
KW - Mangrove ecosystem and microplastic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85184750209&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116075
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116075
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 38335630
AN - SCOPUS:85184750209
SN - 0025-326X
VL - 200
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
M1 - 116075
ER -