Microplastics are ubiquitous in marine systems; however, knowledge of the effects of these particles on marine fauna is limited. Ocean‐borne plastic debris accumulates in littoral ecosystems worldwide, and invertebrate infauna inhabiting these systems can ingest small plastic particles and fibers, mistaking them for food. We examined the effect of microplastic fibers on physiological and reproductive outcomes in a nearshore organism by exposing Pacific mole crabs (Emerita analoga) to environmentally relevant concentrations of microsized polypropylene rope fibers. We compared adult gravid female crab mortality, reproductive success, and embryonic developmental rates between microfiber‐exposed and control crabs. Pacific mole crabs exposed to polypropylene rope had increased adult crab mortality, and decreased retention of egg clutches, causing variability in embryonic development rates. These effects of microplastic ingestion on a nearshore prey species have implications for predators such as surf perf and shore birds, as plastic use, and resultant microplastic presence in nearshore environments increases. Microplastics are ubiquitous in marine and sandy beach environments, posing a significant threat to the marine organisms that reside therein. The most predominant classification of microplastics found have been microfibers. Although a number of biological effects of microplastics have been measured, with documented effects on growth, little research has examined how microplastic fibers affect reproductive output and subsequent development of offspring. We examined the effects of exposure to microfibers on adult mortality, reproductive output, and embryonic development of the filter feeding Pacific mole crab (E. analoga), a dominant infaunal organism on sandy beaches. We demonstrate the effects of microplastic ingestion on mole crab mortality and embryonic development, filling a gap in the current knowledge on the impact of microplastics.

中文翻译：

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与环境相关的微量塑料纤维浓度对太平洋mole（Emerita Analoga）死亡率和繁殖的影响

微塑料在海洋系统中无处不在。但是，对这些颗粒对海洋动物的影响的了解有限。海洋传播的塑料碎片积聚在世界各地的沿海生态系统中，居住在这些系统中的无脊椎动物动物会摄取小的塑料颗粒和纤维，将其误认为食物。我们通过暴露太平洋mole蟹（Emerita类似物）检验了微塑性纤维对近岸生物体生理和生殖结果的影响。）至环境相关浓度的超细聚丙烯绳纤维。我们比较了暴露于超细纤维的蟹和对照蟹之间成年妊娠雌性蟹的死亡率，繁殖成功率和胚胎发育率。暴露于聚丙烯绳的太平洋mole蟹会增加成年蟹的死亡率，并减少卵离合器的滞留，从而导致胚胎发育率发生变化。吸食塑料对近岸猎物物种的这些影响对捕食者（如冲浪性能和岸鸟）产生了影响，原因是塑料的使用，以及近岸环境中所产生的微塑料的存在增加。微塑料在海洋和沙滩环境中无处不在，对居住在其中的海洋生物构成了重大威胁。发现的微塑料最主要的分类是微纤维。尽管已测量了微塑料的许多生物学效应，并已记录了其对生长的影响，但很少有研究检查微塑料纤维如何影响生殖输出和后代的发育。我们检查了暴露于超细纤维对成年太平洋mole蟹（喂食的过滤器）的成年死亡率，生殖产出和胚胎发育的影响E. Analoga），是沙滩上的主要优势生物。我们证明了摄入微塑料对mole蟹死亡率和胚胎发育的影响，填补了有关微塑料影响的当前知识的空白。