Evaluating the interaction of plant communities with microplastics found in water and soil sediments of Lake Victoria

Abstract

Microplastics continue to affect aquatic plant populations, altering ecosystem function. Particle size, polymer type, aquatic microplastic concentration, exposure length, and plant species affect the interaction. Microplastic contamination of freshwater systems and its effects on aquatic plant communities are important global ecological issues that have received little attention in the African scientific press. On this basis, we conducted a survey to assess Lake Victoria plant community interactions with microplastics. This survey picked 11 and 6 water and soil sampling points distributed in 4 counties on which Lake Victoria lies. Field observation and photos of plant communities at the sampling points were also taken and later identified. The ATR-FTIR spectroscopy detection technology analysis was used to analyze microplastics in both the soil and water while the software Origin Pro 2023b Learning edition and RStudio were used for further analysis and graphical data presentation. The results showed considerable concentration of microplastics in over 80% of the sampled areas with the highest abundance being 30000MPs m-3 and 3 of the 17 samples recording 0 MPs. A relative statistical significance in species richness and microplastic abundance where P – 0.059 and R2 – 0.34 was also denoted in the water samples. In both the water and sediment samples, fibers were the dominant MPs shapes retrieved at 85% and 55.2% respectively while transparent was the dominant colour at 32.5% in water and 29.3% in sediment. At each sampling point, photos of the plant communities were taken and later positively identified. We contend that the plant communities around the lake play a significant role in reducing the concentration of this distinct particle component which is an ecologically significant parameter of inland waterbodies because of its ubiquity, environmental persistence, and interactions with key ecological processes. This research exemplifies how small-scale investigations can be useful to provide indications of the role of plant communities around the lake in curbing emerging microplastic pollution menace, a focus on estuarine microplastics research.