Microplastic ingestion and feeding ecology in three intertidal mollusk species from Lima, Peru
Gabriel Enrique De-la-Torre1*, Diego Marcelo Apaza-Vargas1 and Luis Santillán1,2
1Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Av. La Fontana 501, Lima 12, Perú 2Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC), Museo de los Delfines, Lima 20, Perú
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Resumen
Microplastics (< 5 mm) are ubiquitous contaminants in the marine environment. The aims of the present study were to report the incidence of microplastic pollution in three mollusk species from the coast of Lima and to investigate the relationship between microplastic ingestion and feeding ecology. Specimens of three mollusk species Semimytilus algosus, Tegula atra and Chiton granosus were sampled from the intertidal rocky zone. For microplastic isolation, soft tissues were digested in 10% KOH, vacuum filtrated and analyzed under a microscope. Rigorous contamination prevention measures were taken into account. C. granosus was the most contaminated mollusk (6.92 ± 2.13 particles g-1). Red fibers were the overall most abundant microplastic. The feeding behavior of T. atra promotes microplastic exposure to C. granosus. More research is needed to fully understand the microplastic effects on mollusk species.
