title: Is the feeding type related with the content of microplastics in intertidal fish gut?
abstract: Microplastics pollution is a growing global concern that affects all aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics in the environment can be in the form of fibers and/or particles, being the former the most abundant in the marine environment, representing up to 95% of total plastics. The aim of this work was to compare the content of microplastics among intertidal fish with different feeding type. Our results show that omnivorous fish presented a higher amount of microplastic fibers than registered in herbivores and carnivores. Moreover, lower condition factors (K) were found in omnivorous specimens with higher microplastic content. We hypothesized that the type of feeding resulted in different microplastic ingestion, with species with wider range of food sources as omnivores with higher rates. Futures studies carried out to evaluate the biological impacts of microplastics on marine organisms, and microplastics cycling on the marine environment should consider the type of feeding of the studied species.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ecología & Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, 8370371 Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mizraji
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ecología & Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, 8370371 Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahrendt
authors.affiliation: Programa de Doctorado en Medicina de la Conservación, Facultad de Ecología & Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, 8370371 Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perez-Venegas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ecología & Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, 8370371 Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ecología & Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, 8370371 Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: jpulgar@unab.cl.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pulgar
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación e Innovación para el Cambio Climático(CiiCC), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Ejército146, 8370003 Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aldana
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica, 8331150 Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Patricio Ojeda
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ecología & Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, 8370371 Santiago, Chile; Center for the Study of Multiple-drivers on Marine Socio-ecological Systems (MUSELS), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ecología & Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ecología & Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, 8370371 Santiago, Chile; Fundación MERI, Santiago 7650720, Chile. Electronic address: cristobal.galban@unab.cl.
authors.forename: Cristobal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Galbán-Malagón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D060435:Carnivory; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents; D060434:Herbivory; D010969:Plastics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Condition factor; Diet; Intertidal fish; Intertidal pools; Microplastic fibers