Similarity of Microplastic Characteristics between Amphibian Larvae and Their Aquatic Environment

Abstract

Microplastics, pervasive environmental pollutants, are found across various ecosystems, including small inland water bodies. They are reported in different environmental media, yet little is known about the mutual relationships of microplastics’ properties across components of small inland water bodies. Here, having extracted and analyzed these particles from water, sediment, and amphibian larvae from 23 sites, we test within-site similarities regarding shape (morphological type), color, and chemical composition (polymer type). We also provide a brief characterization of the microplastics extracted from water and sediment regarding these parameters. We observed a statistically significant similarity of microplastics’ shapes and colors between those extracted from water and amphibian larvae. Such a similarity, though less pronounced, was also found between amphibian larvae and sediment. However, the chemical composition (polymer type) of the microplastics from water, sediment, and amphibian larvae did not exhibit any similarities beyond what would be expected by chance. The observed congruence in the colors and shapes of microplastics between amphibian larvae and their corresponding aquatic habitats underscores the profound interconnectedness among the constituents of freshwater ecosystems.