One-year variation in quantity and properties of microplastics in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and cockles (Cerastoderma edule) from Aveiro lagoon

Abstract

As filter feeders, marine bivalves inhabiting estuarine and coastal areas are directly exposed to microplastics (MPs) in water. To assess whether MPs number, and their shape, size, colour, and polymer type present in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and cockles (Cerastoderma edule) varied over one year, bivalves were collected over the year of 2019 in the lower part of the coastal Aveiro lagoon, Portugal. After extraction from the bivalve's whole-body soft tissues, a subset of the visually inspected particles was randomly separated for identification using the Fourier-transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectroscopy. A fraction of the inspected particles, 26–32% of particles >100 μm, and 59–100% of smaller ones were confirmed as MPs. Concentrations varied within the intervals of 0.77–4.3 items g−1 in mussels and 0.83–5.1 items g−1 in cockles, with the lowest values observed in January. In winter, the accumulation of large-sized fibers was composed of a mixture of plastic types, which contrasted against the most abundant MPs in summer consisting mainly of polyethylene of diverse size classes and shapes. Temperature decrease registered in winter might have triggered a lower filtration rate, resulting in lower MPs concentrations in the whole-soft body tissues of organisms. Different properties of MPs found in bivalves between January–February and August–September appear to reflect changes in the characteristics of MPs available in the Aveiro lagoon.