Lobster larvae harmed by microplastics at all stages of life

According to a new study, marine microplastic fiber pollution affects larval lobster at each stage of development. Fibers can affect animal feeding and respiration, even preventing larvae from becoming adults, according to a study published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin.

“In today’s oceans, organisms are exposed to so many environmental factors that they influence the transition of life factors to the next stage,” says the researcher and senior researcher at Bigelow Ocean Sciences. Paty Matrai says. “Lobsters play a fundamental role in the Maine Gulf ecosystem and state economy, and it is important to understand how pollutants affect their development.”

Young lobsters grow to adulthood through four different stages of development. Researchers have discovered that each step of physiology determines how an animal interacts with plastic fibers. The youngest lobsters did not consume them, but suffered from the fibers accumulating under the shell that protected the gills. In experiments where the larvae were exposed to high levels of fiber, the youngest larvae were least likely to survive.

The more mobile and agile old lobster larvae did not accumulate fiber under the shell but ingested particles and retained them in the digestive system. This can be a problem for lobster larvae growing in the sea. Fresh plastics often leach out chemicals whose surfaces can potentially grow potentially toxic marine life.

“Plastic particles are found in almost every animal in the sea,” said David Fields, another research author and senior researcher at the Bigelow Institute. “If an animal could fit something in its little tiny hole, that would probably be happening-and it could affect the animal and potentially the food web.”

Microplastic fibers enter the sea from sources including wastewater. Also, as larger materials degrade, they are produced in the ocean. Plastics tend to float on the surface, are exposed to sunlight and waves, and eventually break down into small particles.

Although the levels of microplastic fibers in coastal waters of Maine are relatively low, they can still present serious challenges to animals encountering them. In addition, some animals are prone to encounter fibers in the area. Since microplastic fibers tend to remain on the surface of the sea, surface water animals are more likely to come into contact with them, including larval lobsters.

“Even if the level of plastic is relatively low, it can be harmful to animals that encounter plastic, and if the animal lives in a water column, the problem can be amplified,” Fields said. States. “A lobster larva eating a plastic fiber is the same as we eat a candy wrapper. It’s not great, but it probably just passes. But all you eat is a candy wrapper. If so, it will certainly have other effects on your health.”

As lobsters and other marine life are already facing difficulties due to ocean acidification and rising temperatures, researchers are wondering how this plastic pollution could lead to other environmental stressors facing marine animals. I am particularly interested in what it does. They are interested in conducting future experiments that can investigate how animals are affected when they challenge all three of these factors simultaneously.

Matrai and Fields have previously studied the impact of microplastic fibers on mussels with Madelyn Woods, a recent intern at the Bigelow Laboratory and the lead author of this paper. My colleague authors Teresaphone, Donna Ben Bowman, and Grace Andrews also learned in the summer of 2019 at Matrei and Fields as a research experience for college interns.

“As a global community, we are beginning to realize the impact of plastics in the ocean and the reality that this pollution overlaps with other changes in the environment,” Matrei said. “By working together to reduce the amount of marine microplastic fibers, we can all help protect our critical marine resources.”

reference
Accumulation and Effects of Microplastic Fibers in American Lobster Larvae (Homarus americanus) Madeline N. Woods et al. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 157, August 2020, 111280, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111280..

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