Effect of High-Density Polyethylene Microplastics on the Survival and Development of Eastern Oyster ( Crassostrea virginica ) Larvae

Sulakshana Bhatt (), Chunlei Fan, Ming Liu and Brittany Wolfe-Bryant
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Sulakshana Bhatt: Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
Chunlei Fan: Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD 21251, USA
Ming Liu: Patuxent Aquatic and Environmental Research Laboratory (PEARL), Morgan State University, Saint Leonard, MD 20685, USA
Brittany Wolfe-Bryant: Patuxent Aquatic and Environmental Research Laboratory (PEARL), Morgan State University, Saint Leonard, MD 20685, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 12, 1-12

Abstract: Microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing global concern—especially in estuarine areas that serve as natural habitats and nurseries for many marine organisms. One such marine organism is the Eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica ), which is a reef-forming keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. To understand the potential impacts of MP pollution on the estuary ecosystem, the effects of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) MPs on Eastern oyster larval survival and development were investigated. Three cohorts of larvae were exposed to HDPE MPs with a size of 10–90 µm at a 10 mg/L concentration, after 7 to 11 days of fertilization. After exposure, the number and size of oyster larvae were measured twice a week for approximately 2 weeks until larval settlement. The experiment found that there were no significant differences in the rate of survival between the control and MP-addition treatments. However, we noticed that larval development was significantly delayed with the MP treatment. The percentage of larvae that were ready to settle was 64% with the control treatment compared to 43.5% with the MP treatment. This delay in growth resulted in a delayed larval settlement, which could adversely affect the survival of the Eastern oyster due to the increased risk of predation. The current study demonstrates that MPs could be a risk to the ecology of estuaries, and plastic pollution management is needed for the preservation of these estuaries.

Keywords: polyethylene microspheres; bivalve; larva; development; survival; ecology; estuary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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