Fish that eat microplastics take more risks and die younger, study shows
Related: Microplastic exposure interacts with habitat degradation to affect behaviour and survival of juvenile fish in the field (Proceedings of the Royal Society B)
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Source: The Guardian
Fish that eat microplastics take more risks and die younger, study shows
Joint study conducted finds that fish fed a diet including plastic were more likely to be eaten themselves
Elias Visontay
@EliasVisontay
Wed 28 Oct 2020 00.43 GMT
Last modified on Wed 28 Oct 2020 00.45 GMT
Microplastics can alter the behaviour of fish, with those that ingest the pollutants likely to be bolder, more active and swim in risky areas where they die en masse, according to a new study.
The survival risk posed by microplastics is also exacerbated by degrading coral reefs, as dying corals make particularly younger fish more desperate to find nutrition and shelter, and to venture into waters where they are more likely to be taken by predators themselves.
In a joint study conducted by Australia’s James Cook University as well as other institutions including the University of Cambridge, marine ecologists pulse fed groups of juvenile ambon damselfish, housed across several tanks, a diet of brine shrimp.
In addition to the shrimp, researchers also added fine microplastics, including polystyrene spherical beads about 200 microns (0.2mm) thick, into some of the tanks, in an effort to simulate the dietary choices fishes encounter in the environment. Researchers found the microplastics were mostly eaten.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/28/fish-that-eat-microplastics-take-more-risks-and-die-younger-study-shows
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