JDS4 - The occurrence of plastic particles in the tissue of freshwater clams Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) in the Danube river

Abstract

Tokom 2019 god., u okviru JDS4 ekspedicije, po prvi put je sprovedeno istraživanje koje je obuhvatalo detekciju, kvantifikaciju i kategorizaciju čestica mikroplastike prisutnih u bioti slatkovodnih ekosistema. Istraživanje je sprovedeno duž 2040 rkm Dunava i većih pritoka, od Nemačke do Crnog mora. Alohtona vrsta Corbicula fluminea (Muller, 1774) korišćena je kao model organizam za analizu čestica mikroplastike. Ukupno je prikupljeno 216 jedinki sa 23 lokaliteta. Sakupljene čestice su fotografisane, izmerene, prebrojane i klasifikovane u jednu od 5 glavnih kategorija mikroplastike: vlakna, tvrda plastika, najlon, guma ili ostalo, u rasponu veličina od 0,02 do 4,67 mm. Ukupno je prikupljeno 1998 čestica mikroplastike sa prosečno 9,25 čestica po organizmu ili 26,4 čestica g-1 vlažne telesne težine školjke. Na osnovu analize mikroFTIR spektroskopije, čestice su okarakterisane kao polikarbonat, polietilen tereftalat (PET), polipropilen-polietilen kopolimer, najlon (poliamid-PA) i celofan, sa dominacijom PET-a, koji se koristi za proizvodnju plastičnih boca. Studija mikroplastike JDS4 u bioti dala je prve informacije o plastičnim česticama prisutnih u bioti, što ukazuje na značajan pritisak plastikom duž reke Dunav.

During 2019, within the JDS4 expedition, for the first time, research was conducted that included the detection, quantification and categorization of microplastic particles present in the biota of freshwater ecosystems. The research was conducted along 2040 km of the Danube and larger tributaries, from Germany to the Black Sea. The allochthonous species Corbicula fluminea (Muller, 1774) was used as a model organism for the analysis of microplastic particles. A total of 216 individuals from 23 localities were collected. The collected particles were photographed, measured, counted and classified into one of the 5 main categories of microplastics: fibers, hard plastics, nylon, rubber or other, ranging in size from 0.02 to 4.67 mm. A total of 1998 microplastic particles were collected with an average of 9.25 particles per organism or 26.4 particles of g-1 wet shell body weight. Based on microFTIR spectroscopy analysis, the particles were characterized as polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene-polyethylene copolymer, nylon (polyamide-PA) and cellophane, with a predominance of PET, which is used to produce plastic bottles. The study of JDS4 microplastics in biota provided the first information on plastic particles present in biota, which indicates an plastic pollution along the Danube River.