Banca de DEFESA: LARYSSA CORDEIRO DA SILVA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : LARYSSA CORDEIRO DA SILVA
DATE: 29/11/2024
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: on-line
TITLE:

Microplastic contamination in demersal and pelagic fish from two differently anthropized bays on the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

KEY WORDS:

plastic pollution, coastal fish, Sepetiba Bay, Ilha Grande Bay

PAGES: 65
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Zoologia
SUBÁREA: Zoologia Aplicada
SUMMARY:

Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as one of the major global environmental threats due to their omnipresence, bioavailability, persistence, and toxicity. In marine environments, MPs are widely distributed and accessible to various aquatic organisms, including fish. The main objective of this study was to quantify, classify, and identify MPs in different fish tissues, as well as to investigate whether environmental factors, seasonality, and levels of anthropogenic pressure influence contamination. The tested hypothesis was that environments under greater anthropogenic pressure have a higher abundance of MPs in fish, and that pelagic species ingest more MPs than demersal species, considering the buoyancy and distribution of particles. Muscle and digestive tract samples from two pelagic and two demersal species were analyzed, collected in two bays with different anthropogenic influences (Sepetiba and Ilha Grande) during summer and winter. Samples were digested, vacuum-filtered, analyzed under a microscope, and identified using micro-FTIR. Of the analyzed fish, 60% contained MPs. The results indicate a relationship between MP ingestion, fish size, season of the year, and regional urban activities. Fish from the bay with higher human population density showed a greater abundance of MPs in summer, possibly due to increased continental water inflow during this period, one of the major sources of MPs in the ocean. MPs were detected in all analyzed species, even in tissues consumed by humans. Species from more preserved environments also contained MPs in both muscle and digestive tracts, suggesting the presence of these contaminants in previously considered uncontaminated areas. Species' position in the water column did not influence MP concentration differences, indicating a broad distribution of these contaminants both in the water column and near sediment. Preliminary micro-FTIR analysis of particles indicated a higher abundance of cellulose polymer, accounting for 30% of the total analyzed. In conclusion, fish in environments with higher anthropogenic pressure are more susceptible to MP contamination, supporting our hypothesis. However, more detailed studies are essential to investigate MP transfer to tissues and the potential health risks of this contamination for humans.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - RAQUEL DE ALMEIDA FERRANDO NEVES - UNIRIO
Externo à Instituição - ANDRÉ LUIZ CARVALHO DA SILVA - UERJ
Interno - 387200 - FRANCISCO GERSON ARAUJO
Interno - 1728466 - JAYME MAGALHAES SANTANGELO
Externo à Instituição - WAGNER FERREIRA MAGALHÃES - UFBA