Ingestion and Depuration of Microplastics by a Planktivorous Coral Reef Fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis

Updated: 2024-12-05

This published research assesses microplastic ingestion and retention by coral reef fish, which are important information to assess ecological risks of this emergent contaminant to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR, Australia). Fish were collected with SCUBA and nets at Lizard Island (North GBR), exposed to microplastics under laboratory conditions at Lizard Island Research Station, and processed (i.e., gastrointestinal tract chemically digested, filtered and analysed under microscope) to assess microplastic ingestion at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville (Queensland, Australia). Data was statistically analysed using general linear model in R, kinetics model, one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparisons tests.