Juveniles at Risk: Behaviour and Colour Changes in Sole Juveniles (Solea Solea) after Exposure to Estuarine Ragworms (Hediste Diversicolor) Contaminated with Microplastics

Due to strong anthropogenic pressures and their location at the interface between continental and oceanic environments, estuarine areas are affected by significant microplastic (MPs) pollution and species that live in these areas are particularly exposed. The objective of this study, is to evaluate the effects of environmental MPs on an emblematic and common species of the European coasts, the common sole (Solea solea). Sole juveniles were fed with estuarine ragworms (Hediste diversicolor) previously exposed to MPs via the sediment. The MPs used were either a mixture of micronized plastics collected from the Seine Estuary (used as environmental MPs at two concentrations: 1 or 100 mg MP/kg sediment) or PVC particles (100-250 µm) at 1 g/kg of sediment, either uncontaminated or contaminated with Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaP, 11.5 µg/g MPs) or benzophenone-3 (BP3, 66 ng/g MPs). Several indicators of health status such as survival, growth, behaviour, energy metabolism, and histopathology of liver and intestine were studied. Individuals fed ragworms exposed to environmental MPs or PVC, displayed a change in behaviour (place preference between black or white background). The colour of the soles changed with an increase in intensity of a colour (chroma value) when exposed to the highest concentration of the Seine Estuary MPs and a change in the frequency of appearance of different colours (value/chroma) in soles exposed to BP3-PVC MPs. These observations are indicative of physiological stress. Exposure to environmental MPs did not reveal any changes in energy reserves (glycogen and lipid concentration), TBARS levels, histopathological lesions or DNA damage. In contrast, exposure to BP3-PVC MPs increased DNA damage and lipid content in muscle.

Keyword(s)

Microplastic, behaviour, metabolism, skin color change, fish, estuarine invertebrate, food chain exposure

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Pannetier Pauline, Vignet Caroline, Revel Messika, Le Bihanic Florane, Christelle Clérandeau, Mouneyrac Catherine, Larcher Thibaut, Grassl Bruno, Gasperi Johnny, Cachot Jerome, Cousin Xavier, Bégout Marie-Laure (2024). Juveniles at Risk: Behaviour and Colour Changes in Sole Juveniles (Solea Solea) after Exposure to Estuarine Ragworms (Hediste Diversicolor) Contaminated with Microplastics. Preprint. INPRESS. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4934689, https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00916/102750/

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