2024/08/08 by Garth A. Covernton, Adam H. Metherel, Bailey C. McMeans +10 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology #Microplastics and Plastic Pollution #Water Quality Monitoring Technologies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1139/cjfas-2024-0149
openalex publication_date 2024/08/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Using 10 m diameter mesocosms in a Canadian boreal lake, we investigated the effects of microplastic (MP) exposure on the body weight and diet of yellow perch ( Perca flavescens) and the fatty acid composition of yellow perch and zooplankton. We exposed the aquatic ecosystem within seven mesocosms for 10 weeks to a mixture of polyethylene, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate fragments, ranging in nominal addition concentrations from 6 to 29 240 particles L −1 (although realized water column concentrations were lower), as well as two negative controls. Increasing MP exposure did not affect yellow perch body weight (growth) or diet, or the overall fatty acid composition of yellow perch muscle or zooplankton. Results were highly variable across mesocosms. Despite high levels of MP ingestion by yellow perch, we did not find evidence of MPs leading to food dilution or any other effect where we could anticipate impacts on food web structure.