Data from: Impacts of microplastic versus natural abiotic particles on the clearance rate of a marine mussel

In coastal habitats, mussels are exposed to microplastic (MP; plastic
<5mm) and silt, two abiotic particles that are similarly sized and
lack nutrition. The addition of MP or silt may change the functional
response of mussels. We measured clearance rate of Mytilus trossulus in
three particle treatments (algae, MP + algae, and silt + algae) across
four concentrations to 1) determine if the effects of MP and silt are
similar and 2) disentangle the effects of particle type, particle
concentration, and proportion of abiotic particles. Clearance rate
decreased by 62% at high MP concentrations (>1,250 particles/ml)
but was not affected at equivalent silt concentrations. These findings
suggest high MP concentrations inhibit mussel clearance rate, more than
expected by changes in particle concentration or the proportion of abiotic
particles. As plastic production increases, mussel exposure to MP will
increase, potentially reducing energy transfer, benthic-pelagic coupling,
and water clarity.

在海岸生境中，贻贝暴露于微塑料（microplastic，MP；粒径<5mm的塑料）和淤泥这两种非生物颗粒，二者粒径相似且缺乏营养。添加MP或淤泥可能会改变贻贝的功能响应。我们在四种浓度下，对三种颗粒处理组（藻类、MP+藻类、淤泥+藻类）中的托氏贻贝（Mytilus trossulus）的清除率进行了测定，旨在1）确定MP和淤泥的影响是否相似；2）厘清颗粒类型、颗粒浓度及非生物颗粒比例的效应。在高MP浓度（>1250颗粒/ml）下，清除率下降了62%，但在同等淤泥浓度下未受影响。这些发现表明，高MP浓度对贻贝清除率的抑制作用，超出了颗粒浓度变化或非生物颗粒比例变化所能解释的预期。随着塑料产量的增加，贻贝暴露于MP的程度将加剧，可能会降低能量传递、底栖-浮游耦合以及水体透明度。