Uptake and egestion of polyhydroxyalkanoate microbeads in the marine copepod Nitokra lacustris pacifica

Roswati Md Amin, . and Siti Noorhuda Fatihah Sukri, . and Kesaven Bhubalan, . and Tan Amelia Suet May, . and Annisa Nursabrina Jaapar, . Uptake and egestion of polyhydroxyalkanoate microbeads in the marine copepod Nitokra lacustris pacifica. pp. 45-53. ISSN 2672-7226

Petrochemical-based microplastics are widely distributed and abundant in the marine environment and they have become a global economic and environmental concern. Microplastics are mistakenly ingested by zooplankton as food subsequently disrupting the biological process of zooplankton a crucial food source for many secondary consumers. Research has led to the development of biodegradable plastics such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) to remediate this problem. This study aims to evaluate the ingestion and egestion of PHA microbeads by the Nitokra lacustris pacifica copepod. The polymer P(3HB) produced from Massilia haematophila UMTKB-2 was used to develop PHA microbeads. The PHA microbeads were then added to copepod cultures to study the ingestion of the PHA microbeads and its effects on the copepods. The copepods were viewed under an inverted fluorescence microscope to confirm the presence of the PHA microbeads in their digestive tracts and faecal pellets. The percentage of PHA microbeads ingested by the copepods and their incorporation in faecal pellets were higher 70 and 80 respectively after being exposed for 24 h and three days were required to fully egest the microbeads. However no mortality was observed in this short-term incubation experiment.

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Abstract

Petrochemical-based microplastics are widely distributed and abundant in the marine environment and they have become a global economic and environmental concern. Microplastics are mistakenly ingested by zooplankton as food subsequently disrupting the biological process of zooplankton a crucial food source for many secondary consumers. Research has led to the development of biodegradable plastics such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) to remediate this problem. This study aims to evaluate the ingestion and egestion of PHA microbeads by the Nitokra lacustris pacifica copepod. The polymer P(3HB) produced from Massilia haematophila UMTKB-2 was used to develop PHA microbeads. The PHA microbeads were then added to copepod cultures to study the ingestion of the PHA microbeads and its effects on the copepods. The copepods were viewed under an inverted fluorescence microscope to confirm the presence of the PHA microbeads in their digestive tracts and faecal pellets. The percentage of PHA microbeads ingested by the copepods and their incorporation in faecal pellets were higher 70 and 80 respectively after being exposed for 24 h and three days were required to fully egest the microbeads. However no mortality was observed in this short-term incubation experiment.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Copepoda
AGROVOC Term:	Zooplankton
AGROVOC Term:	Animal feeding
AGROVOC Term:	Plastics
AGROVOC Term:	Polymers
AGROVOC Term:	Pollutants
AGROVOC Term:	Excretion
Depositing User:	Mr. AFANDI ABDUL MALEK
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 00:54
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/9003

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