engleski

Harnessing the filtration proficiency of Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis for water column microplastics biomonitoring

Microplastics have become ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and represent a potentially significant threat to marine organisms not only by physically blocking their gut upon ingestion but also impacting at the cellular level by acting as vectors for other pollutants. In recognition of the growing threat from microplastics, the multilateral project “Marine litter cross-border awareness and innovation actions” has kicked-off. Within this framework, a Mussel Microplastic biomonitoring and Purification System (MMPS) has been manufactured and deployed in coastal waters with the aim of using the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 as a bioaccumulator of microplastics both for biomonitoring and purification purposes. In laboratory studies, MMPS reliably enabled the uptake of cigarette butt microfibres (CBMs), one of the most common plastic fibers found in the marine coastal ecosystem. While not showing adverse effects, the mussels within MMPS efficiently removed CBMs from the water column with a high turnover rate (uptake/release). Specifically, high levels of CBMs were found in the faeces and pseudofaeces of mussels within 4 h from the start of exposure to CBMs while nearly complete egestion of microfibers was noted during mussel recovery in the first 48 h after removal of the source of pollutant. The installation of MMPS at five Rovinj and two Dubrovnik coastal locations, and bimonthly microplastic collection and analysis over a period of 1 year (July 2021 – August 2022), are providing some of the highest density temporal data in the Adriatic for the type of microplastics present, with subsequent chemical analysis aimed towards developing a toxicity profile for those locations based on microplastics as a vector for other pollutants.

biomonitoring ; cigarette butt ; microfibres ; microplastics ; purification

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