RT journal article
T1 Contamination from microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in the digestive tracts of the commercial species Engraulis encrasicolus and Sardina pilchardus
A1 Sánchez-Guerrero Hernández, Miguel Jorge
A1 González Fernández, Daniel
A1 Sendra, Marta
A1 Ramos, Fernando
A1 Yeste Siguenza, María del Pilar
A1 González-Ortegón, Enrique
A2 Biología
K1 Anchovy
K1 Anthropogenic particles
K1 H2O2
K1 KOH
K1 Marine litter
K1 Microplastics
K1 Sardine food web
AB Fragments of microplastics (<5 mm) found in commercial species of fish, crustaceans, and bivalves, are an issue of global concern. The bioaccumulation of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in different levels of the food web may provoke unwanted impacts on marine ecosystems and cause pernicious effects on human health. Here, we study the presence of anthropogenic particles and the fraction of microplastics in the target organs of two representative commercial fish species in Spain; the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and the European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus). The individuals were sampled along the continental shelf of the Gulf of Cádiz, from the Bay of Cádiz to Cape Santa Maria. The isolation of the microplastics (MPs) was carried out with a complete alkaline-oxidant organic digestion (KOH-H2O2) of the digestive tract, including both the contents ingested and the muscle tissues. Anthropogenic particles were found in all individuals of both species with an average of 8.94 ± 5.11 items·ind−1. Fibres made up 93 % of the items while fragments and films were represented by the remaining 7 %. The average size of the anthropogenic particles was 0.89 ± 0.82 mm. In addition to the fragment and film particles identified as microplastics, 29 % of the fibres were estimated to be microplastics by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The main polymer found in both species was nylon. No significant correlation was found between the abundance and size of anthropogenic particles ingested and individual size or other body variables. The analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) and the distanced-based multiple linear regression model showed a high homogeneity in anthropogenic particle contamination in both species throughout the study area along the continental shelf of the Gulf of Cádiz.
PB Elsevier
SN 0048-9697
YR 2022
FD 2022-11-26
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/29571
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/29571
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 08-nov-2026