Microplastics are of increasing concern as they are readily ingested by aquatic organisms. This study investigated microplastic trophic transfer using larval inland silversides (Menidia beryllina) (5 d posthatch) and unicellular tintinnid (Favella spp.) as a model food chain relevant to North American estuaries. Low‐density polyethylene microspheres (10–20 μm) were used to compare direct ingestion of microplastics by larval fish and trophic transfer via tintinnid prey. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)‐treated microspheres were used to determine sorbed pollutant effects on microplastic ingestion. Larval fish exposed directly to microspheres ingested significantly fewer than those exposed via contaminated prey. Larvae ingested significantly more ciliates containing DDT‐treated microspheres than ciliates containing untreated plastics but did not discriminate when exposed directly. Larvae reared for 16 d following a direct 2 h exposure had significantly lower wet weight values than unexposed controls. Our results demonstrate that trophic transfer is a significant route of microplastic exposure that can cause detrimental effects in sensitive life stages.

中文翻译：

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微生物在河口食物链中的营养转移和吸附的传统污染物的影响

由于水生生物容易摄入微塑料，因此人们越来越关注微塑料。这项研究调查了使用幼体内陆银苷（Menidia beryllina）（孵化后5天）和单细胞丁丁（Favella spp。）作为与北美河口相关的模型食物链的微量营养营养转移。低密度聚乙烯的微球（10-20  μm）被用来比较幼虫鱼直接摄取微塑料和通过丁丁腈猎物进行营养转移。使用二氯二苯基三氯乙烷（DDT）处理的微球来确定吸附的污染物对微塑料摄入的影响。直接暴露于微球体的幼体鱼的摄入量显着少于通过受污染猎物暴露的幼体鱼。幼虫摄入的含有DDT处理的微球的纤毛比含有未经处理的塑料的纤毛要多得多，但直接暴露时并没有区别。直接暴露2 h后饲养16天的幼虫的湿重值明显低于未暴露的对照组。我们的研究结果表明，营养传递是暴露于微生物的重要途径，在敏感的生命阶段可能造成有害影响。