Microplastic pollution in wild populations of decapod crustaceans: A review

Abstract

Along with the increasing amount of plastic production and waste disposal, the presence of microplastics has been confirmed in all compartments of ecosystems. The microplastics in biota is of particular concern due to the potential eco-risks associated with long term exposure and the potential for transportation along food webs. Decapoda represents a diverse taxonomic group within the subphylum Crustacea, and some of which are highly valued in fishery and biological production. The interaction between microplastic pollution and wild populations of decapod crustaceans have been documented less than fish or bivalves but are critical to understand the fates of microplastics in marine eco-systems and enrich the baselines for consumption analyses. Our review systematically summarizes the occurrence, abundance and characteristics of microplastics detected in edible and non-edible sections of decapod crustaceans from field observations. Sub-groups between crabs and shrimps were also included for comparison. The occurrence of microplastics in the edible sections were less than those in non-edible sections, and there are differences between crabs and shrimps. Fibrous microplastics and items with a size category less than 1 mm were dominant pollutants across all available literature. The methodology selection, biological features and uptake pathways play roles in the microplastic body burden in Decapoda. Our work enriches the understanding of microplastic pollution in wild populations of decapod crustaceans but their contribution to the human exposure to microplastics needs to be addressed with more accurate measurements.