Published August 17, 2022 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Ecotoxicity of Polyvinylidene Difluoride (PVDF) and Polylactic Acid (PLA) Microplastics in Marine Zooplankton

  • 1. Early PostDoc Mobility Grant—Swiss National Science Foundation, 3000 Bern, Switzerland
  • 2. Institute for the Study of the Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (CNR-IAS), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy
  • 3. Institute of Biophysics (CNR-IBF), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy AND Schaefer SEE srl, Via Luigi Einaudi 23, 45100 Rovigo, Italy
  • 4. Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (CNR-IMEM), National Research Council, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16149 Genova, Italy
  • 5. Institute of Molecular Science and Technologies (CNR-SCITEC), National Research Council, Via de Marini 16, 16149 Genova, Italy

Description

The aim of this study was to investigate the ecotoxicity of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics (MPs) in two marine zooplankton: the crustacean Artemia franciscana and the cnidarian Aurelia sp. (common jellyfish). To achieve this goal, (i) MP uptake, (ii) immobility, and (iii) behavior (swimming speed, pulsation mode) of crustacean larval stages and jellyfish ephyrae exposed to MPs concentrations (1, 10, 100 mg/L) were assessed for 24 h. Using traditional and novel techniques, i.e., epifluorescence microscopy and 3D holotomography (HT), PVDF and PLA MPs were found in the digestive systems of the crustaceans and in the gelatinous tissue of jellyfish. Immobility was not affected in either organism, while a significant behavioral alteration in terms of pulsation mode was found in jellyfish after exposure to both PVDF and PLA MPs. Moreover, PLA MPs exposure in jellyfish induced a toxic effect (EC50: 77.43 mg/L) on the behavioral response. This study provides new insights into PLA and PVDF toxicity with the potential for a large impact on the marine ecosystem, since jellyfish play a key role in the marine food chain. However, further investigations incorporating additional species belonging to other trophic levels are paramount to better understand and clarify the impact of such polymers at micro scale in the marine environment. These findings suggest that although PVDF and PLA have been recently proposed as innovative and, in the case of PLA, biodegradable polymers, their effects on marine biota should not be underestimated.

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Additional details

Funding

European Commission
CLAIM – Cleaning Litter by developing and Applying Innovative Methods in european seas 774586