The Fate of Microplastics Ingested by Gryllodes sigillatus

Abstract

Plastic pollution has become a major concern in almost every natural environment. As plastics enter an environment, they undergo a degradation process and can become microplastics (MPs; plastics smaller than 5 mm). Thus far, most MPs research has focused on aquatic, rather than terrestrial environments, and standardized methods of plastic extraction and quantification from animals living in the latter are needed. For my thesis, I aimed to understand the fate of MPs ingested by the generalist insect, Gryllodes sigillatus. In chapter 2, I developed a new, clearly