Scholarlink

<p>Microplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems is an increasing environmental concern, yet its occurrence in archived biological specimens remains poorly understood. This study investigated the microplastics in museum-preserved earthworms, including <i>Megascolex konkanensis</i> (Fedarb, 1898) and <i>Pontoscolex corethrurus</i> (Müller, 1857), collected from northern, central, and southern Kerala, India, between 2010 and 2021. Thirty-six formalin-preserved specimens were analysed using KOH digestion, vacuum filtration, stereomicroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. A total of 88 suspected microplastic particles were recovered, with abundances ranging from 1.00 ± 1.10 to 5.00 ± 1.10 particles per individual. Fibres were the dominant morphotype (&gt; 70%), and particle sizes ranged from 0.021 to 3.452&#xa0;mm. Raman analysis of 44 representative particles confirmed the presence of Polyester, Polyethylene (PE), Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), Polycarbonate (PC), Ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM), Polysulfone (PSU), and Polystyrene (PS). Wilcoxon rank-sum test identified a significant difference in particle abundance between the two sampled species. The recovery of Raman-confirmed microplastic particles from long-term preserved specimens suggests the potential of museum collections as supplementary resources for retrospective microplastic investigations. Although preservation effects and potential confounding factors could not be evaluated, the findings provide evidence of microplastics in preserved earthworm specimens from Kerala and support further validation of archived biological collections for environmental monitoring.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Microplastics in Museum-Preserved Earthworms Reveal Ecotype-Specific Variations

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月3日

查看全文
  • Jeevan Joy,
  • S. Prasanth Narayanan,
  • Alina Cherian,
  • V. P. Sylas

摘要

Microplastic contamination in terrestrial ecosystems is an increasing environmental concern, yet its occurrence in archived biological specimens remains poorly understood. This study investigated the microplastics in museum-preserved earthworms, including Megascolex konkanensis (Fedarb, 1898) and Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857), collected from northern, central, and southern Kerala, India, between 2010 and 2021. Thirty-six formalin-preserved specimens were analysed using KOH digestion, vacuum filtration, stereomicroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. A total of 88 suspected microplastic particles were recovered, with abundances ranging from 1.00 ± 1.10 to 5.00 ± 1.10 particles per individual. Fibres were the dominant morphotype (> 70%), and particle sizes ranged from 0.021 to 3.452 mm. Raman analysis of 44 representative particles confirmed the presence of Polyester, Polyethylene (PE), Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), Polycarbonate (PC), Ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM), Polysulfone (PSU), and Polystyrene (PS). Wilcoxon rank-sum test identified a significant difference in particle abundance between the two sampled species. The recovery of Raman-confirmed microplastic particles from long-term preserved specimens suggests the potential of museum collections as supplementary resources for retrospective microplastic investigations. Although preservation effects and potential confounding factors could not be evaluated, the findings provide evidence of microplastics in preserved earthworm specimens from Kerala and support further validation of archived biological collections for environmental monitoring.