Sayak Ghosh,
- Student Department of Biotechnology, Haldia Institute of Technology, Haldia West Bengal India
Abstract
Environmental contaminants that are biologically active significantly affect ecosystems, animals, and human health. Plastic pollution has drawn international attention for its detrimental effect on the environment and biodiversity health. The aquatic ecology of our planet is full of microplastics. Regular, extensive use of nonbiodegradable polymers required several years for them to break down. Over the course of those years, it discharged tiny particles of 100 nm or less. Due to their size resemblance to Particular Organic Matter, these microplastics (MPs) are frequently ingested by the smaller species present in the waterbody, such as zooplankton and shellfish. The top-level organism in that food chain was affected by this process. Then MPs infiltrated the body and disrupted their ability to do their regular tasks. In this work, we exposed the model fish Danio rerio to MP treated water taken from neighbouring plastic-polluted water bodies to examine the impact of microplastics on its reproductive system. Another water tank is prepared using the commercially available polystyrene MPs mixing with the water. To assess the MPs’ potential impact, we also employ fluorescent PS-MPs. This study shed light on the reproductive harm that microplastics in fish may do and has ramifications for environmental toxicology and freshwater ecology.
Keywords: Microplastics, reproduction, fertility, fish reproduction, environmental toxicology
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| Volume | |
| Received | August 7, 2024 |
| Accepted | August 27, 2024 |
| Published | September 4, 2024 |