Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 20, 2026

A Toxicological and Ecotoxicological Assay Based on Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) Hemocytes Motility
07:28

A Toxicological and Ecotoxicological Assay Based on Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) Hemocytes Motility

Published on: December 13, 2024

817

Size-dependent elimination of ingested microplastics in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

Azusa Kinjo1, Kaoruko Mizukawa2, Hideshige Takada2

  • 1Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa 277-8564, Japan.

Marine Pollution Bulletin
|August 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Mussels retain microplastics (MPs) differently based on their size. Smaller MPs are egested quickly, while larger MPs are excreted more slowly, impacting their effects on marine life.

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Environmental Science
  • Ecotoxicology

Background:

  • Filter-feeding organisms like mussels ingest microplastics (MPs) from marine environments.
  • Limited data exists on the retention duration of ingested MPs within the digestive tracts of these organisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the gut retention time (GRT90) and long-term egestion patterns of different-sized polystyrene microspheres in Mytilus galloprovincialis.
  • To investigate the influence of microplastic size on retention and egestion dynamics in mussels.

Main Methods:

  • Exposure of Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to three sizes of polystyrene microspheres (1, 10, and 90 μm).
  • Quantification of gut retention time (GRT90) and monitoring of long-term egestion.
  • Analysis of size-dependent differences in microplastic retention and excretion.

Main Results:

  • Significant variations in GRT90 were observed across different microplastic sizes.
  • Smaller MPs were primarily egested rapidly, with some intermittent detection up to day 40.
  • Larger MPs exhibited slower, bulk excretion and were not detected thereafter.

Conclusions:

  • Microplastic size critically influences retention and egestion dynamics in the digestive tracts of mussels.
  • Size-dependent effects of microplastics must be considered in ecological risk assessments for mussels and other filter feeders.
Keywords:
Gut retention timeMicroplasticsMusselsParticle size

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