ena-STUDY-CENTRE FOR ECOLOGY AND HYDROLOGY-09-07-2018-10:59:15:098-2144
Bioaccumulation and gut microbiome response in the great pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis exposed to PBDEs in the presence and absence of nylon microplastics
It is recognised that microplastics will associate with persistent organic chemicals within the environment, potentially changing their bioavailability and the interaction of organisms with these chemicals. The aims of this study were to investigate how the presence of microplastics affect PBDE bioaccumulation and the gut microbiome in the great pond snailLymnaea stagnalis. Snails were exposed to microplastics and PBDEs independently and in combination for 96 hours. Microplastic particles (13-15 µm nylon powder) were mixed with quartz sand sediment at 1% w/w. A PBDE mix (containing BDE-47, 99, 100, 153 and PBB-153) was added to the sediment-microplastic mix in glass vessels at six environmentally relevant concentrations (94, 188, 375, 750, 1500, 3000 ng g-1 each PBDE), with six replicates consisting of one snail per treatment. There was no significant mortality observed in any of the treatments after 96 hours exposure. Of the six snails per treatment, three were analysed for PBDE tissue concentration and three were analysed for gut microbiome composition. The presence of microplastics did not significantly change PBDE bioaccumulation. However, our data indicate that that the presence of microplastics did influence gut microbial community diversity. In snails exposed to microplastics only (without PBDEs), microbial diversity was lower compared to those not exposed to microplastics. In the presence of microplastics, with increasing PBDE concentration, gut microbial diversity increased. In comparison, when microplastics were absent microbial communities were less diverse at the higher concentrations. A similar trend is reflected in the community composition data. These data imply that microplastics alone can influence the gut microbial community and they can also alter the effects of PBDEs on the gut microbiome. Given the importance of the gut microbiome for nutrition, metabolic function and immunity, such perturbation to the microbial community may have implications for organism health and fitness.
It is recognised that microplastics will associate with persistent organic chemicals within the environment, potentially changing their bioavailability and the interaction of organisms with these chemicals. The aims of this study were to investigate how the presence of microplastics affect PBDE bioaccumulation and the gut microbiome in the great pond snailLymnaea stagnalis. Snails were exposed to microplastics and PBDEs independently and in combination for 96 hours. Microplastic particles (13-15 µm nylon powder) were mixed with quartz sand sediment at 1% w/w. A PBDE mix (containing BDE-47, 99, 100, 153 and PBB-153) was added to the sediment-microplastic mix in glass vessels at six environmentally relevant concentrations (94, 188, 375, 750, 1500, 3000 ng g-1 each PBDE), with six replicates consisting of one snail per treatment. There was no significant mortality observed in any of the treatments after 96 hours exposure. Of the six snails per treatment, three were analysed for PBDE tissue concentration and three were analysed for gut microbiome composition. The presence of microplastics did not significantly change PBDE bioaccumulation. However, our data indicate that that the presence of microplastics did influence gut microbial community diversity. In snails exposed to microplastics only (without PBDEs), microbial diversity was lower compared to those not exposed to microplastics. In the presence of microplastics, with increasing PBDE concentration, gut microbial diversity increased. In comparison, when microplastics were absent microbial communities were less diverse at the higher concentrations. A similar trend is reflected in the community composition data. These data imply that microplastics alone can influence the gut microbial community and they can also alter the effects of PBDEs on the gut microbiome. Given the importance of the gut microbiome for nutrition, metabolic function and immunity, such perturbation to the microbial community may have implications for organism health and fitness.