Uptake and Retention of Microplastics by the Shore Crab Carcinus maenas

Abstract

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

Interactions of Microplastics with Freshwater Biota

“…Additionally, Cole et al [55] documented that MPs attach to the external carapace and appendages of marine zooplankton, which then might interfere with locomotion, molting, and feeding. The relevance of adhered particles was also shown in the marine crabs Uca rapax and Carcinus maenas [56,57]. Here, MP exposure led to an accumulation in the stomach and hepatopancreas but also to an accumulation in the gills.…”

The vertical distribution of buoyant plastics at sea: an observational study in the North Atlantic Gyre

“…Plastics harbour organisms -such as fouling microorganisms, invertebrates, and fish -that can widely disperse via this new type of habitat, potentially entering non-native waters (Winston et al, 1997;Barnes, 2002;Thiel and Gutow, 2005;Zettler et al, 2013;Reisser et al, 2014). Plastic objects can also entangle or be ingested/inhaled by marine animals, leading to impacts such as starvation, death, and hepatic stress (Derraik, 2002;Browne et al, 2008;Gregory, 2009;Rochman et al, 2013;Watts et al, 2014).…”

The flip-or-flop boutique: Marine debris on the shores of St Brandon's rock, an isolated tropical atoll in the Indian Ocean

“…The impact of marine debris and microplastics (< 5 mm) in particular remains subject to investigation but there are indications of negative effects on biota, mediated by both the physical and chemical characteristics and composition of plastics and microplastics (e.g. Barnes et al, 2009;Watts et al, 2014;Cole et al, 2015;Hardesty et al, 2015). The potential of impacts of marine plastic debris on human health is also attracting attention (Seltenrich, 2015).…”