A Nova Scotia professor has received a grant to study the impact of microplastics on lobster larvae in Atlantic waters.
Jordan Park, professor in the Department of Science at Université Sainte-Anne, in Nova Scotia, received a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to support his work.
Over the next five years, these funds will allow him to study the effect of changing environmental conditions on marine life, including commercially important species like lobster
we can read in a press release published by the Université Saint-Anne.
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The zooplankton used in this research are less than two centimeters in size and are capable of consuming nanoplastics less than 50 nanometers in size.
Photo: Courtesy: Mukul Sharma
The impact of various sources of pollution, including microplastics and particles from tire wear, on aquatic invertebrates will be analyzed when they are also exposed to the effects of climate change.
Marine environments are constantly changing. Climates change and we observe the introduction of new pollutants which are added to those already accumulated.
Plastic pollutants — like food packaging — break down over time in the ocean, becoming smaller and smaller. These microplastics, smaller than the diameter of a hair, can even degrade further to become even smaller.
These pollutants are so small that they can easily be ingested along with other food sources or aquatic organisms
explains Jordan Park.
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Microplastic particles.
Photo: Courtesy: Janice Brahney
This is how microplastic makes its way into the food chain.
Other larger organisms will eat smaller organisms that have already ingested microplastics
summarizes Jordan Park.
Identify the source of exposure
The scientist explains that microplastics can end up in lobsters in two ways, either when the crustacean ingests them directly or when it eats a food source — such as zooplankton — that is already contaminated.
Jordan Park’s research will therefore aim to compare these two scenarios. His team will therefore expose lobster larvae directly to microplastics as well as to zooplankton that have already ingested them.
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Under the shell of this lobster larva, microplastics are visible.
Photo : Madelyn Woods / Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Jordan Park says it is quite easy to check if an organism has ingested microplastics since the presence of these pollutants can, for example, be observed in the digestive tract.
The scientist hypothesizes that the accumulation of microplastics and nanoplastics in the digestive tract of crustaceans will have an impact on the health of the microorganisms that live there, which can then have an impact on the biological functions of the animal. , especially his immune system.
According to the report of Gwyneth Eganof CBC
