Plastic pollution has increased exponentially in the past century, with plastic waste entering the aquatic environment at alarming rates. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of plastic debris on marine life, recently focusing on microplastics (MPs) as their reduced dimension complicates their removal and makes them bioavailable to a greater number of organisms, including zooplankton. This study investigates MP uptake by meroplanktonic organisms, specifically looking at their occurrence in fish and decapod larvae. Samples were collected from two ecosystems in the South of Portugal: the Guadiana River estuary and the Ria Formosa lagoon, and MPs were retrieved through filtration after larval digestion. MPs were found to be ingested by fish and decapods at both study sites. Considering that these larvae are already exposed to environmental stressors and predation, the ingestion of MPs introduces an additional threat, possibly impacting adult populations, in a region that is strongly reliant on fishery. Having baseline studies on types and quantities of MPs ingested can thus help the investigation of possible toxicity for these taxa and help in adopting informative strategies to control MPs pollution in the area.
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