Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Sampling and Identification of Microplastics in Groundwater
Published on: November 7, 2025
First evidence of microplastic ingestion by fishes from the Amazon River estuary
Tamyris de Souza E Silva Pegado1, Kurt Schmid1, Kirk O Winemiller2
1Laboratório de Biologia Pesqueira e Manejo dos Recursos Aquáticos, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral 2651, Terra Firme, 66077830 Belém, Pará, Brazil.
Abstract:
This study investigated occurrence of microplastic particles in digestive tracts of fishes from the Amazon River estuary. A total of 189 fish specimens representing 46 species from 22 families was sampled from bycatch of the shrimp fishery. Microplastic particles removed from fish gastrointestinal tracts were identified using Attenuated Total Reflectance - Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR). In total, 228 microplastic particles were removed from gastrointestinal tracts of 26 specimens representing 14 species (30% of those examined). Microplastic particles were categorized as pellets (97.4%), sheets (1.3%), fragments (0.4%) and threads (0.9%), with size ranging from 0.38 to 4.16 mm. There was a positive correlation between fish standard length and number of particles found in gastrointestinal tracts. The main polymers identified by ATR-FTIR were polyamide, rayon and polyethylene. These findings provide the first evidence of microplastic contamination of biota from the Amazon estuary and northern coast of Brazil.
Related Concept Videos
The Evidence for Evolution
Osmoregulation in Fishes
Physiology of the Gastrointestinal System I: Ingestion and Propulsion
FISH - Fluorescent In-situ Hybridization
What is Evolutionary History?
Habitat Fragmentation

