Size-dependent response of the mussel collective behaviour to plastic leachates and predator cues

Uguen, Marine; Gaudron, Sylvie; Nicastro, Katy R.; Zardi, Gerardo I.; Spilmont, Nicolas; Seuront, Laurent

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164037

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Each type of pellet was mixed with natural aerated seawater for 24 h [38][39][40][41] at 20°C at a concentration of 10 g of pellets per litre (ca 400 pellets per litre, or equivalently 20 ml of pellets per litre; [39]). After 24 h, the experiment was performed using the solution alone (i.e.…”

Section: (B) Microplastics and Leachate Solution Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The tolerance of a keystone ecosystem engineer to extreme heat stress is hampered by microplastic leachates

Uguen,

Gaudron,

Nicastro

et al. 2024

Biol. Lett.

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Plastic pollution and ongoing climatic changes exert considerable pressure on coastal ecosystems. Unravelling the combined effects of these two threats is essential to management and conservation actions to reduce the overall environmental risks. We assessed the capacity of a coastal ecosystem engineer, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis , to cope with various levels of aerial heat stress (20, 25, 30 and 35°C) after an exposure to substances leached from beached and virgin low-density polyethylene pellets. Our results revealed a significant interaction between temperature and plastic leachates on mussel survival rates. Specifically, microplastic leachates had no effect on mussel survival at 20, 25 and 30°C. In turn, mussel survival rates significantly decreased at 35°C, and this decrease was even more significant following an exposure to leachates from beached pellets; these pellets had a higher concentration of additives compared to the virgin ones, potentially causing a bioenergetic imbalance. Our results stress the importance of adopting integrated approaches combining the effects of multiple environmental threats on key marine species to understand and mitigate their potential synergistic effects on ecosystem dynamics and resilience in the face of the changing environment.

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