Adverse impacts of high-density microplastics on juvenile growth and behaviour of the endangered tri-spine horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus

James Kar-Hei Fang; Tsz Wan Tse; Elizaldy Acebu Maboloc; Ryan Kar-Long Leung; Matthew Ming-Lok Leung; Max Wang-Tang Wong; Apple Pui-Yi Chui; Youji Wang; Menghong Hu; Kit Yue Kwan; Siu Gin Cheung

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114535

Adverse impacts of high-density microplastics on juvenile growth and behaviour of the endangered tri-spine horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Feb:187:114535. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114535. Epub 2023 Jan 16.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Land and Space, and Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: james.fang@polyu.edu.hk.
² Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
³ Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁴ Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China; Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁶ International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai 201306, China.
⁷ Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Marine Biodiversity Conservation, College of Marine Sciences, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: bhsgche@cityu.edu.hk.

PMID: 36652855
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114535

Abstract

The impacts of high-density microplastics, namely polyamine 6,6 (nylon), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), on growth and behaviour of the endangered tri-spine horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus were investigated for 100 days. Negative changes in wet weight and prosomal width of the juveniles were observed in all treatments of microplastics, but significant difference was only detected in prosomal width between control and PMMA. T. tridentatus became significantly less active upon exposure to nylon and PET. The extent of burrowing by T. tridentatus did not significantly differ among the treatments but was overall significantly reduced towards day 100. T. tridentatus exposed to PET significantly showed the lowest survival probability (30 %), compared to the other treatments (70-90 %). In conclusion, high-density microplastics compromised growth and behaviour of juvenile horseshoe crabs. Among the polymers that were tested, PET was considered more harmful and associated with higher mortality.

Keywords: Hong Kong; Mortality; Mudflat; Nylon; PET; PMMA.

MeSH terms

Animals
Horseshoe Crabs*
Microplastics*
Nylons
Plastics / toxicity
Polymethyl Methacrylate

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Nylons
Polymethyl Methacrylate