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Cited by 310Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyCoral and Marine Ecosystems Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 79 of the 79 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Effects of microplastic exposure on the body condition and behaviour of planktivorous reef fish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus)

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Critchell, Kay, Hoogenboom, Mia O.·2018·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0193308PMC PMC5832226
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Abstract

The effect of a pollutant on the base of the food web can have knock-on effects for trophic structure and ecosystem functioning. In this study we assess the effect of microplastic exposure on juveniles of a planktivorous fish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus), a species that is widespread and abundant on Indo-Pacific coral reefs. Under five different plastic concentration treatments, with plastics the same size as the natural food particles (mean 2mm diameter), there was no significant effect of plastic exposure on fish growth, body condition or behaviour. The amount of plastics found in the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract was low, with a range of one to eight particles remaining in the gut of individual fish at the end of a 6-week plastic-exposure period, suggesting that these fish are able to detect and avoid ingesting microplastics in this size range. However, in a second experiment the number of plastics in the GI tract vastly increased when plastic particle size was reduced to approximately one quarter the size of the food particles, with a maximum of 2102 small (< 300μm diameter) particles present in the gut of individual fish after a 1-week plastic exposure period. Under conditions where food was replaced by plastic, there was a negative effect on the growth and body condition of the fish. These results suggest plastics could become more of a problem as they break up into smaller size classes, and that environmental changes that lead to a decrease in plankton concentrations combined with microplastic presence is likely have a greater influence on fish populations than microplastic presence alone.

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Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pone.0193308

Cites

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Figures

Fig 1 Experimental design for acute and chronic plastic exposure experiment. Concentrations shown are the mean concentrations for each treatment, as treatment dosage was dependent on tank biomass.
Fig 1 Experimental design for acute and chronic plastic exposure experiment. Concentrations shown are the mean concentrations for each treatment, as treatment dosage was dependent on tank biomass.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 2 Plastic ingestion by sub-adult A. polyacanthus exposed to different plastic doses. Top panels (A-C) show proportion of fish per treatment and clutch which ingested plastics, and the lower panels (D-F) show the range of ingestion for fish per pooled treatment (treatments 20, 40 pooled to low, and 60, 80 pooled to high) for each clutch.
Fig 2 Plastic ingestion by sub-adult A. polyacanthus exposed to different plastic doses. Top panels (A-C) show proportion of fish per treatment and clutch which ingested plastics, and the lower panels (D-F) show the range of ingestion for fish per pooled treatment (treatments 20, 40 pooled to low, and 60, 80 pooled to high) for each clutch.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 3 Particle and fish size dependence of plastic ingestion. A) Shows the proportion of fish that were found to have plastics in their digestive tract. B) Shows the range of plastic ingestion for fish per treatment, the mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range.
Fig 3 Particle and fish size dependence of plastic ingestion. A) Shows the proportion of fish that were found to have plastics in their digestive tract. B) Shows the range of plastic ingestion for fish per treatment, the mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 4 Fish growth and body condition during the acute phase of the plastic exposure experiment. Top panels (A-C) show the change in mass (g) relative to start mass during the acute exposure phase, for each clutch. The lower panels (D-F) show the change in length-weight relationship relative to the start of the acute exposure, for each clutch. The mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range.
Fig 4 Fish growth and body condition during the acute phase of the plastic exposure experiment. Top panels (A-C) show the change in mass (g) relative to start mass during the acute exposure phase, for each clutch. The lower panels (D-F) show the change in length-weight relationship relative to the start of the acute exposure, for each clutch. The mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 5 Fish growth and body condition (measured as HSI) during the chronic exposure phase of the experiment. The top panels (A-C) show the change in body mass relative to the start of the chronic exposure, for each clutch. The lower panels (D-F) show the body condition of the fish in the form of the hepatosomatic Index in each treatment and clutch. The mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range.
Fig 5 Fish growth and body condition (measured as HSI) during the chronic exposure phase of the experiment. The top panels (A-C) show the change in body mass relative to the start of the chronic exposure, for each clutch. The lower panels (D-F) show the body condition of the fish in the form of the hepatosomatic Index in each treatment and clutch. The mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 6 Fish behaviour during exposure to different concentrations of microplastics. The top panels (A-C) show the number of lines crossed per second for each treatment and clutch. The mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range. The lower panels (D-F) show the aggression index where the central horizontal line shows the mean and the vertical line indicates the range of values.
Fig 6 Fish behaviour during exposure to different concentrations of microplastics. The top panels (A-C) show the number of lines crossed per second for each treatment and clutch. The mid-line of the boxes represent means with the boxes showing the 25th and 75th percentile and the vertical lines representing the range. The lower panels (D-F) show the aggression index where the central horizontal line shows the mean and the vertical line indicates the range of values.CC BY · PubMed Central

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Citations

Cites

Show all 79 references

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. I Kinan, 2000, Abundance of plastic debris and ingestion by albatross on Kure Atoll, North-western Hawaiian Islands, Marine Ornithology, 28
  2. Hoss D, Settle L, editors. ingestion of plastics by teleost fishes. Second International Conference on Marine Debris; 1989; Honolulu, Hawaii. USA1990.
  3. AR Emery, 1973, Comparative Ecology and Functional Osteology of Fourteen Species of Damselfish (Pisces: Pomacentridae) at Alligator Reef, Florida Keys, Bulletin of Marine Science, 23, 649

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Metadata

Authors
Critchell, K., & Hoogenboom, M. O.
Affiliations
  • James Cook University (AU)
  • ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (AU)
Corresponding author
Critchell, Kay
ORCID
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2018-03-01
Volume
13
Issue
3
Pages
e0193308
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0193308
PMC
PMC5832226
OpenAlex
W2793168889
Cited by
310
References
79
Citations by year
2026: 26 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 3
FWCI
10.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
correction (2024-07-02)
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ResearchOnline at James Cook University (James Cook University) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Own your potential (DEAKIN) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
Keywords
microplastics, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, juvenile fish, body condition, fish growth, fish behavior, plastic ingestion, gastrointestinal tract, plastic particle size, coral reef fish, food webs
MeSH terms
Animals, Behavior, Animal, Body Composition, Environmental Monitoring, Particle Size, Perciformes, Plankton, Plastics, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Ecosystem, Food Chain, Gastrointestinal Tract

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