Transfer of Polystyrene Microplastics with Different Functional Groups in the Aquatic Food Chain

Abstract

Microplastic pollution has become an increasingly concerning environmental problem because of its adverse impact on aquatic ecosystem security. Microplastics in the aquatic environment are poisonous to aquatic life, and they can not only be consumed by aquatic life but also pass down the food chain, endangering human health in the process. To investigate the accumulation and transfer of three different functional microplastics, including polystyrene (PS), carboxylate-modified polystyrene (PS-COOH), and amine-modified polystyrene (PS-NH2), in the aquatic food chain between Chlorella pyrenoidosa,Daphnia magna, and zebrafish, this study focused on three different functional microplastics. The maximum concentration of the three microplastics in Daphnia magna occurred at 8h, while that in zebrafish appeared at 24h. Three microplastics accumulated in the following order: PS-COOH > PS-NH2 > PS. The BMF of zebrafish intestine/Daphnia magna > 1, suggesting that biomagnification occurred along the food chain transfer and mainly accumulated in the intestine of zebrafish. This study confirmed the biomagnification of three polystyrene microplastics during food chain transfer, providing a theoretical basis for the transfer of microplastics in aquatic food chains.