Abstract
Plastics enter the environment, amongst others, from synthetic textiles, which shed microplastic fibers (microfibers) during their production, use and disposal. We tested whether short- and long-term effects of microfibers on the aquatic worm, Lumbriculus variegatus, depend on the synthetic microfiber material. Microcosms containing L. variegatus were exposed to no microfibers (control) or one of three polymer treatments (nylon, polyester, or olefin) at 5 g of microfibers kg-1 of sediment for 48 h or 28 days. Following exposure, L. variegatus were counted, weighed, and the number of microfibers ingested determined. Polyester microfibers occurred in higher quantities (10–12) than nylon and olefin (< one) per individual after 48 h and 28 days. Only the olefin per individual doubled after 28 days compared to 48 h. These findings indicate that polyester microfibers are more likely to affect L. variegatus and have greater potential to be ingested by higher trophic levels than other polymers.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Chandler Foundation, the Department of Biology, and the Georgia Southern University Honors Program for funding awards to the first author who completed this study under the mentorship of the senior author. We also thank D. Gleason and J.C. Colon-Gaud for use of equipment and S. Alvey, S. Davis, and A. Tucker for their assistance with the experiment.
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Martinez, S.A., Simon, C.J. & Cohen, R.A. Synthetic Microfiber Material Influences Ingestion by Freshwater Worms. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 110, 87 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-023-03725-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-023-03725-5