Study on the consumption of microplastics by fishes in a floodplain lake of the Curiaú River (Macapá – Amapá, Brazil)

Study on the consumption of microplastics by fishes in a floodplain lake of the Curiaú River (Macapá – Amapá, Brazil) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Study on the consumption of microplastics by fishes in a floodplain lake of the Curiaú River (Macapá – Amapá, Brazil) Luan Moura Miranda, Thayana Castro da Silva, Adson Afonso Pimentel, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6497873/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Aquatic Sciences → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Plastics are used in almost every aspect of modern life from construction and electronics to clothing and food packaging. Freshwater ecosystems are the ultimate destination for many pollutants including plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, so-called microplastics. When available in the aquatic environment, these particles are actively or passively consumed by fishes. Studies on the natural diet of fishes can highlight and elucidate the impacts of this pollutant on aquatic ecosystems. The stomachs, intestines and gills from 122 fishes collected from Curiaú River Resort during the dry and rainy seasons, were analyzed by chemical digestion with KOH to verify the presence of microplastics. The fishes were categorized by taxa (14 species), feeding guild (herbivore, carnivore, piscivore, omnivore) and collection period (dry vs. rainy). We found a total of 732 microplastics, all classified as fibers, in 96% of the fishes examined. The predominant colors of the fibers were blue (59%) and black (33%). The highest consumption of microplastics occurred during the rainy season. Among the six most abundant species sampled, microplastics were most common in Geophagus sp., a fish that forages by sifting substrates dominated by sand. We also found differences between feeding guilds with carnivores scoring highest in the consumption of microplastics. We found no association between fish size and weight and the quantity of microplastics consumed. This study provides valuable baseline data on the ingestion of microplastics by fishes in the Curiaú Resort, and new insights into microplastic consumption by freshwater fishes. Our results are compared to similar studies of fishes in aquatic environments around the world. Plastic pollution Microplastic Trophic guild Microplastic ingestion Freshwater fishes Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Introduction Plastics are recognized as artificial substances composed of synthetic material or semi-synthetic natural polymers manufactured from petroleum-based chemicals. They are economical, lightweight, durable and corrosion resistant. (Boucher and Friot 2017 ). Plastics are used in almost every aspect of modern life from construction and electronics to clothing and food packaging. Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are called microplastics (Hartmann et al. 2019) and generally result from the degradation of plastic waste. Microplastics can be categorized according to their source of origin: primary microplastics, for example, are used in personal care products, and secondary microplastics result from the degradation of larger pieces (Barnes et al. 2009 ). Freshwater ecosystems are the ultimate destination for many pollutants resulting from the improper disposal of solid waste by the watershed’s human population. This solid waste is transported by rain and wind until it reaches water bodies. (Faure et al. 2015 ). Once in the water, plastics are transported by rising waters into floodplains or downstream by currents and can become trapped in riverbed sediments and structures (e.g. banks, bushes, trees and cliffs). (Azevedo Santos et al. 2021). In the Brazilian Amazon, plastic represents 15.7% of total solid waste (MMA 2015), and it is estimated that 182,085 metric tons of plastic are dumped annually into water bodies (Giarrizzo et al. 2019 ). Much of this waste is transported by the Amazon River to the Atlantic Ocean, making the Amazon the second most plastic-polluted river in the world, behind only the Yangtze River in China. (Giarrizzo et al. 2019 ). Studies on the natural diet of fishes can highlight and elucidate the impacts on aquatic ecosystems resulting from dams, effluent discharge, and exotic species, among others. More recently, studies on fish diets have been used to detect the presence of microplastics in the environment and characterize the greater susceptibility of trophic groups to this new type of pollution. The objective of this study is to investigate 1) ingestion of microplastics by fishes in the Curiaú River resort area, located in a large floodplain lake in the municipality of Macapá (AP), and 2) potential associations between this ingestion and the biological characteristics of the fishes, such as species, feeding habits and body size. Methodology This study took place at the Curiaú River Resort (Fig. 1 ) in areas close to places where bathers visit throughout the year, but especially during the summer months (July to December). The study area is in the Curiaú River Environmental Protection Area (APA do Curiaú) located in the urban expansion area of the Municipality of Macapá, state of Amapá, Brazilian Amazon. (Chellappa et al. 2005 ) in the vicinity of the coordinates 0°8'44.07"N, 51°2'31.58"W (Map 1). The Curiaú APA covers a small area (23,000 ha) in contrast to its high diversity of ecosystems such as savannas, dry-land forests, flooded forests and floodplains. The Curiaú River is a floodplain-system, with a dry (low-water) season occurring from July to December, and a rainy (high-water) season from January to June. (Chellappa et al. 2005 ). Fishes were collected by residents of the Curiaú APA, in October 2022 and April 2023, corresponding to the dry and flood periods, respectively. Study specimens were donated to the Amapá Fauna Scientific Collection based at the Amapá Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IEPA). The gills and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) from the upper part of the esophagus to the anus were removed from each study specimen after taxonomic identification. The stomachs were then separated from the intestines and analyzed under a stereoscopic microscope to identify the feeding habits of each species. All samples (gills, stomachs, intestines) were transferred to individual glass beakers and taken to the Food Laboratory of the IEPA Food Science and Technology Center. There the samples were treated with a 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution and the beakers were covered with aluminum foil to prevent possible contamination and evaporation. The samples were then heated at a temperature of 60°C for 24 hours (Suwartiningsih et al. 2020 ), which according to Dehaut et al. ( 2016 ) is the most effective protocol for the digestion of organic matter and preservation of microplastics (MPs). After digestion, the remaining solution was poured through 50 µm pore size filters in the IEPA Ichthyology Laboratory. The filters were placed onto sterile petri dishes for microscopic examination of microplastics. Finally, the plastics were visually assessed and categorized by color, size, and shape (i.e., fiber, fragment, line, film, or foam). All laboratory procedures involved necessary precautions to avoid possible contamination of the samples. Laboratory personnel always wore nitrile gloves and cotton lab coats during analysis. Laboratory surfaces and digestion equipment were cleaned with pure water before and after each dissection. Before use, filters were inspected under the microscope for the existence of MPs. Control blanks were made for each day of analysis before beginning the sample digestion. For control blanks, a beaker was filled with 50 ml of the same KOH solution and covered with aluminum foil; these blanks were exposed to the same protocol applied to the samples. Data were analyzed by species, feeding guild, and collection period. Microplastic values were subjected to the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and homoscedasticity of variances (Levene) (Sokal and Rohlf 1995 ) according to the most abundant species, guilds and collection period. Since microplastic values did not meet normality, the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test was used to compare the most abundant species and guilds, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to verify differences between collection periods with a 95% confidence interval. Spearman correlations were performed between total length and weight and the amount of microplastics found for the most abundant species. All analyses were performed with the Statistica 7.0 program. StatSoft, Inc. (2004). STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 7. www.statsoft.com . Results Our analysis involved a total of 122 wild-caught fishes distributed among 14 species (Table 01 ); 92 and 30 specimens were collected during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. Microplastics were not found in only five specimens representing the species Hoplias malabaricus (1), Metynnis lippincottianus (3) and Satanoperca jurupari (1), all from the dry-season collecting efforts. A total of 732 microplastics, all classified as fibers, were found in the 117 remaining specimens. Table 1 Number of specimens (n) and mean ± standard deviation (M ± SD) of the amount of microplastics per species and their feeding habits (guild) Species n M ± SD (cm) Guild Acestrorhynchus altus 2 8,00 ± 0 Piscivore Aequidens sp. 2 3,50 ± 0,71 Onivore Bryconops melanurus 15 8,80 ± 3,84 Carnivore Crenicichla johana 2 2,50 ± 0,71 Carnivore Crenicichla sp. 3 12,00 ± 14,73 Carnivore Creniciclha cf. johanna 4 6,25 ± 1,26 Carnivore Geophagus sp. 10 10,30 ± 5,31 Onivore Heros severus 1 2,00 ± 0 Onivore Hoplias malabaricus 2 5,50 ± 7,78 Piscivore Mesonauta acora 9 7,33 ± 5,74 Onivore Metynnis lippincottianus 39 3,69 ± 2,74 Herbivore Satanoperca jurupari 24 4,04 ± 2,65 Onivore Serrasalmus maculatus 1 5,00 ± 0 Onivore Acestrorhynchus falcirostris 8 8,38 ± 4,14 Carnivore Fibers of various colors were found in the three samples (gill, stomach, intestine): blue (59%), black (33%) red (6%), green (1%), and lilac (1%). The average size of the fibers was 0.27 cm, with green fibers being the largest (avg. 0.33 cm), followed by lilac (0.30 cm), blue (0.27 cm), red (0.24 cm) and black (0.23 cm) fibers. Based on stomach contents, the species analyzed exhibited four different feeding habits (guilds): herbivore, carnivore, piscivore and omnivore. Microplastics were found in all guilds (Table 2 ) during both collection periods (dry and wet seasons). Table 2 Number of specimens and mean ± standard deviation of the amount of microplastics by feeding habits (Guild) Guild n M ± SD (MP) Carnivore 30 8,67 ± 5,33 Herbivore 39 3,69 ± 2,74 Omnivore 49 6,04 ± 4,78 Piscivore 4 5,25 ± 3,20 Microplastics occurrence was highest (76%) in samples from the digestive tract (46% stomach and 30% intestines) with only 24% in samples from the gills. Fish collected during the rainy season ingested a higher quantity of microplastics (p < 0.05) when compared to fish from the dry season (Fig. 1 ). For the six most abundant species, the Kruskal-Wallis test identified two groups (a, b) with significant differences (p < 0.05) between them in relation to microplastic consumption in the study area (Fig. 2 ). Group a species ( Bryconops melanurus , Geophagus sp. and Acestrorhynchus falcirostris ) differed significantly from those of group b ( Metynnis lippincottianus and Satonoperca jurupari ). Mesonauta acora spanned both groups (a, b) and thus did not differ from the other species. For the four different feeding guilds, the Kruskal-Wallis test identified three groups (a, b, c) with significant differences (p < 0.05) in microplastic consumption occurring between carnivores (b) and the herbivores and omnivores (c) (Fig. 3 ). Piscivores (a) did not significantly differ from any other guild. The analysis of the relationship between microplastic consumption and fish weight (R²=0,0032, P < 0,05) and length (R²=0,0392, P < 0,05) was not significant for all specimens (n = 122), showing that the body size does not influence the amount of microplastics ingested. Discussion All microplastics found in the three samples analyzed (gills, stomach, and intestine) were classified as fibers. Similar studies worldwide have found fibers to be the dominant type of MP contaminant in fishes (Jabeen et al. 2016; Gomez et al. 2020 ; Pappoe et al. 2022 ; Kiliç et al. 2022, Bellas et al. 2016 , Chan et al. 2019 , Justino et al. 2021 ), suggesting that fibers are the most abundant microplastics ingested in aquatic environments. The high frequency of microplastics in the current study (found in 95.9% of 122 individual fishes) was similar to those reported by Aunurohim et al. ( 2023 ) (99% of 74 individuals) and Suwartiningsih et al. ( 2020 ) (97.5% of 80 individuals), but higher than those of other fish diet studies such as Khan and Setu ( 2022 ) (76% of 45 individuals) and as Vendel et al. ( 2017 ) (9% of 2233 individuals) and some others studies as shown in Table 3 . This discrepancy can be explained in part by our use of the protocol developed by Dehaut et al. ( 2016 ) which highlights small plastic particles that cannot be observed in situ (i.e., within the digestive tract and its contents). Microplastics also adhere to the mucus of gill filaments, a fact that makes it extremely difficult to visualize them, even under a microscope. The chemical digestion of organic matter leaves only the inorganic matter visible, such as ingested sediments and synthetic materials, highlighting the occurrence of microplastics. Microplastics found in both marine and freshwater environments can be transparent or display a wide variety of colors, including black, blue, gray, green, red, white, purple, or yellow (Wang et al. 2021 ). Experimentally, it has been observed that some fish species prefer ingesting certain colors of plastics, and the prevalence of different colors of microplastics can vary widely across sampling sites (Horie et al. 2024 ). The predominance of blue and black fibers in the analyzed fishes follows a general pattern of occurrence found in other similar studies. For example, the most common colors were black, white and blue among microplastics reported by Khan and Setu ( 2022 ) in freshwater fishes in Bangladesh, black in demersal fish from the Spanish Coast and Mediterranean Sea (Bellas et al. 2016 ) and pelagic and demersal fish in Indonesia (Aunurohim et al. 2023 ), and black, blue and red in serrasalmids from Xingu River, Brazil (Andrade et al. 2019 ). The occurrence of microplastics in the three different samples from each individual (gill, stomach and intestine), indicates that these particles contaminate the fish through two different pathways: one passive, with the accumulation of plastic in the mucus of the gills during swimming or breathing (Parker et al. 2021 ), and the other active, due to feeding activity, wherein ingestion may or may not be voluntary. Ingested plastics presumably return to the environment with the fishes’ feces, otherwise larger fishes would have a greater accumulation of fibers in their stomach and intestine. We found no correlation between fish body size and the ingestion of microplastics, as did Chan et al. (2029) in Hong Kong Coast and Vendel et al. ( 2017 ) in Paraiba and Mamanguape River estuary (Brazil). Suwartiningsih et al. ( 2020 ) found only a weak correlation in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, whereas Khan and Setu ( 2022 ) found body size to be positively correlated with microplastic abundance in fish specimens from the Jamuna River, Bangladesh. Our analyses were unable to determine the proportion of ingested microplastics potentially absorbed into the bloodstream and incorporated into the fishes’ bodies. Table 3 Comparison of microplastic occurrence in fishes. GIT = gastrointestinal tract, C = carnivore, H = Herbivore, O = Omnivore, P = Piscivorous, Z = Zoobenthivorous, I = Insectivore, Il = Iliophage, D = Detritivore, A = Algae eaters, Zo = Zooplanktivores, B = Benthivores, G = Generalists, Pl = Planktivorous Location of Study Habitat No. of fish species Trophic Guilds Samples Method Total No. of Individuals Examined (no. with microplastics) % with Microplastics Study Indonesia Marine 11 - GIT KOH 75 (74) 99% Aunurohim et al. 2023 Indonesia Marine 4 - GIT KOH 80 (78) 97.5% Suwartiningsih et al. 2020 Brazil Freshwater 14 C, H, O, P Gill, GIT KOH 122 (117) 95.9% this study Bangladesh Freshwater 7 H, C, O GIT H 2 O 2 45 (34) 76% Khan and Setu 2022 Brazil Brackish 3 D, Z, P GIT NaOH 82 (69) 73% Justino et al. 2021 Ghana Marine 4 - GIT KOH + H 2 O 2 115 (79) 68.7% Pappoe et al. 2022 Brazil Marine 7 O, Z Stomach Stereomicroscope 214 (118) 55% Dantas et al 2020 China Marine, brackish 4 - Stomach HNO 3 147 (80) 54% Chan et al. 2019 Brazil Freshwater 16 C, H, O Stomach Stereomicroscope 172 (46) 26.7% Andrade et al. 2019 Spain Marine 7 - Stomach NaOH 212 (37) 17.5% Bellas et al. 2016 Philippines Marine - - GIT NaOCl 180 (21) 11.67% Gomez et al. 2020 Brazil Brackish 69 A, Zo, Z, B, G GIT Stereomicroscope 2233 (196) 9% Vendel et al. 2017 Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile Marine 7 Pl GIT Stereomicroscope 292 (6) 2.10% Ory et al. 2018 Brazil Freshwater 14 O, I, P, Il Stomach Stereomicroscope 220 (4) 1.8% Oliveira et al. 2020 Dantas et al. ( 2020 ) reported that microplastic ingestion does not depend on eating habits of marine fishes in Ceará State (Brazil); however, they analyzed only two trophic guilds (see Table 3 ). Khan and Setu ( 2022 ) also found no significant differences between feeding habits and microplastics ingestion. Nevertheless, other studies have shown that microplastic ingestion varies according to feeding strategy (Table 3 ). Ismail et al. ( 2018 ) reported that herbivorous fishes of Biawak Island showed a higher density microplastics, while Andrade et al. ( 2019 ) found small differences in MP intake patterns between fish guilds observed in the Xingu River. In the current study, we observed a significant difference between feeding habits and microplastic consumption, suggesting that piscivorous fishes ingest not only the MPs of their prey, but MPs taken incidentally during prey capture (Justino et al. 2021 ) and respiration. Parker et al. ( 2021 ) indicated that the ingestion of microplastics by fish may be related to their feeding activity, which would be directly influenced by environmental conditions that determine the prey’s abundance and type (Jobling 1981 ). Habitats that concentrate or receive a lot of microplastics also increase the chance of microplastics being ingested (Wright et al. 2013 ; Güven et al. 2017 ). In the environment, MP deposition and accumulation patterns may vary by substrate (i.e., sediments vs. plants) and in the water column. These patterns influence the amount of MP ingested by fishes according to their diet and feeding habits (on the bottom vs. in the water column, as for piscivores). Accordingly to our results, piscivores and omnivores occupy an intermediate position (Fig. 9) between carnivores and herbivores. This also explains the higher consumption of microplastics among fishes collected during the high-water season, a period when food availability is greater and consequently fish increase their feeding activity. In addition, the dry (low-water) season can affect the availability of MP in the water. Reduced flows and shallower depths cause microplastics to accumulate in the banks and substrate, thereby decreasing their availability in the water (Han et al. 2020 ). During the rainy season, rainwater becomes an important carrier of MP, as it removes MP from the atmosphere causing the phenomenon known as plastic rain (Brahney et al. 2021 ). Thus, the increase in rainwater and flooding during the rainy season increases the amount of microplastics suspended in the water column. All this emphasizes that hydrological changes affect not only the quantity, but also the quality of the food (Oliveira et al. 2020 ). Conclusions/final considerations This study showed that the Curiaú Resort is affected by microplastic pollution, and that fish regularly consume these particles. It can be concluded that plastic pollution in the waters of the Curiaú River is already impacting the aquatic fauna and that this problem should carefully monitored. Not only can these particles cause diseases and problems for fishes, but these fishes are part of the diet of much of the population of Amapá State and this contamination can affect their health as well. This study provides valuable baseline data on the ingestion of microplastics by fishes in the Curiaú Resort, a protected area frequented by tourists and fishermen and with great social and ecological value. Declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no potential conflict of interest to disclose. Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Author Contribution CSG contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by LMM, TCS, AAP and KRR and supervised by CSG. Thes statistical analysis and interpretation were carried by LMAS and LMM. The digestion of the samples was supervised by CSG and ACFS. The first draft of the manuscript was written by CSG and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgement We would like to thank Dr. Mark Sabaj for his insights and help reviewing this manuscript and to Andrio L. M. de Souza for his help in creating the map. References Andrade MC, Winemiller KO, Barbosa PS, Fortunati A, Chelazzi D, Cincinelli A, Giarrizzo T (2019) First account of plastic pollution impacting freshwater fishes in the Amazon: Ingestion of plastic debris by piranhas and other serrasalmids with diverse feeding habits. 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Mar Pollut Bull 182:113955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113955 Parker B, Andreou D, Green ID, Britton JR (2021) Microplastics in freshwater fishes: Occurrence, impacts and future perspectives. Fish Fish 22:467–488. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12528 Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1995) Biometry: The Principles and Practice of Statisticsin Biological Research. W.H. Freeman and Co., New York Suwartiningsih N, Setyowati I, Astuti R (2020) Microplastics in pelagic and demersal fishes of Pantai Baron, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Jurnal Biodjati 5:33–49. http://journal.uinsgd.ac.id/index.php/biodjati Vendel AL, Bessa F, Alves VEN, Amorim ALA, Patrício J, Palma ART (2017) Widespread microplastic ingestion by fish assemblages in tropical estuaries subjected to anthropogenic pressures. Mar Pollut Bull 117:448–455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.081 Wang Z, Zhang Y, Kang S, Yang L, Shi H, Tripathee L, Gao T (2021) Research progresses of microplastic pollution in freshwater systems. Sci Total Environ 795:148888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148888 Wright SL, Thompson RC, Galloway TS (2013) The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: A review. Environ Pollut 178:483–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.02.031 Map Map 1 is available in the Supplementary Files section. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Map1.jpg Map 1- Location of the study area. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Jul, 2025 Read the published version in Aquatic Sciences → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 14 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 14 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 05 May, 2025 Reviews received at journal 04 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 28 Apr, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 27 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 26 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 21 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6497873","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":449275544,"identity":"c2c7542d-8d17-47cc-8c8c-ee97a09afc98","order_by":0,"name":"Luan Moura Miranda","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Amapá","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Luan","middleName":"Moura","lastName":"Miranda","suffix":""},{"id":449275545,"identity":"e96648f7-c2c3-4893-9301-2ef2e9159d91","order_by":1,"name":"Thayana Castro da Silva","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Amapá","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thayana","middleName":"Castro da","lastName":"Silva","suffix":""},{"id":449275546,"identity":"d0af12b9-7f5a-49e3-aa50-da63b872ae09","order_by":2,"name":"Adson Afonso Pimentel","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Amapá","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Adson","middleName":"Afonso","lastName":"Pimentel","suffix":""},{"id":449275547,"identity":"a5475a87-b832-4461-942d-4e29b939ff1f","order_by":3,"name":"Khallyl do Rosário Ramos","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal do Amapá","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Khallyl","middleName":"do Rosário","lastName":"Ramos","suffix":""},{"id":449275548,"identity":"ee5a9852-cb77-4175-a7a7-96bf65376a42","order_by":4,"name":"Luis Maurício Abdon da Silva","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Luis","middleName":"Maurício Abdon da","lastName":"Silva","suffix":""},{"id":449275549,"identity":"24fb2803-2b02-495e-b900-238c2634476f","order_by":5,"name":"Antônio Carlos Freitas Souza","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Estado do Amapá","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Antônio","middleName":"Carlos Freitas","lastName":"Souza","suffix":""},{"id":449275550,"identity":"958640f5-54b0-47a5-9f9e-8651fe93eb36","order_by":6,"name":"Cecile de Souza Gama","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA1ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFAC9sMPP/DYMDaA2A8YGCAM/IAnzVhCJg2iMoE4LQwGEjw2h0nQwt+/IMFAIue87Pb2HsMHCQw2shsOENAicePhgQcFZ24bzzlzLNkggSHNmKAWA4kDCQaSPbcTZ0gkH5NIYDicSIwWAwnef+cSZ8g/bP+RwPCfCC38DUDv8xwA2sJ8DOj9A4S1SNwABTJPsvEMnrRkiQSDZOOZhLTw9x8HRaWd7Az2M4YfPlTYyfYR0sIA9DKyOwkpB1tD0NBRMApGwSgY8QAAChtH4zaMYQoAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Cecile","middleName":"de Souza","lastName":"Gama","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-21 17:08:09","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6497873/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6497873/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-025-01203-0","type":"published","date":"2025-07-09T15:57:20+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":81702539,"identity":"344ea7f6-0ad1-4b22-ae08-b1fd8b34d475","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-30 13:10:02","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":17163,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison between microplastic consumption between collection periods according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p\u0026lt;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6497873/v1/4b50c739156f379aaed03e66.png"},{"id":81702563,"identity":"d8e4c3c1-31d6-4372-bcc0-bb369161c6d3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-30 13:10:09","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":33226,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison between the amount of microplastic consumed by the most abundant species analyzed according to the Kruskal-Wallis test (p\u0026lt;0.05). Letters indicate membership in one of two significantly different groups.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6497873/v1/e1b54976f7c16dd56877c50a.png"},{"id":81702461,"identity":"cbf66108-4efd-42e9-a23e-261d4bc38f49","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-30 13:09:53","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":21863,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eComparison of the amount of microplastic consumed by guilds according to the Kruskal-Wallis test (p\u0026lt;0.05). Letters indicate membership in one of three significantly different groups.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6497873/v1/2153fc815f65238945ca4cc3.png"},{"id":86700045,"identity":"1489016b-0b2a-4fe7-bde4-7aca93e7a53b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-07-14 16:11:26","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":689965,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6497873/v1/e26d4648-b794-49a4-a24f-c402558c79ed.pdf"},{"id":81702540,"identity":"79eeacab-7ca4-492d-9d01-d6949bccbfd9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-04-30 13:10:02","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":101056,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMap 1\u003c/strong\u003e- Location of the study area.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Map1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6497873/v1/1f64c187f5db1ba61de5e1d5.jpg"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Study on the consumption of microplastics by fishes in a floodplain lake of the Curiaú River (Macapá – Amapá, Brazil)","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003ePlastics are recognized as artificial substances composed of synthetic material or semi-synthetic natural polymers manufactured from petroleum-based chemicals. They are economical, lightweight, durable and corrosion resistant. (Boucher and Friot \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Plastics are used in almost every aspect of modern life from construction and electronics to clothing and food packaging. Plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are called microplastics (Hartmann et al. 2019) and generally result from the degradation of plastic waste. Microplastics can be categorized according to their source of origin: primary microplastics, for example, are used in personal care products, and secondary microplastics result from the degradation of larger pieces (Barnes et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFreshwater ecosystems are the ultimate destination for many pollutants resulting from the improper disposal of solid waste by the watershed\u0026rsquo;s human population. This solid waste is transported by rain and wind until it reaches water bodies. (Faure et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Once in the water, plastics are transported by rising waters into floodplains or downstream by currents and can become trapped in riverbed sediments and structures (e.g. banks, bushes, trees and cliffs). (Azevedo Santos et al. 2021). In the Brazilian Amazon, plastic represents 15.7% of total solid waste (MMA 2015), and it is estimated that 182,085 metric tons of plastic are dumped annually into water bodies (Giarrizzo et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Much of this waste is transported by the Amazon River to the Atlantic Ocean, making the Amazon the second most plastic-polluted river in the world, behind only the Yangtze River in China. (Giarrizzo et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudies on the natural diet of fishes can highlight and elucidate the impacts on aquatic ecosystems resulting from dams, effluent discharge, and exotic species, among others. More recently, studies on fish diets have been used to detect the presence of microplastics in the environment and characterize the greater susceptibility of trophic groups to this new type of pollution. The objective of this study is to investigate 1) ingestion of microplastics by fishes in the Curia\u0026uacute; River resort area, located in a large floodplain lake in the municipality of Macap\u0026aacute; (AP), and 2) potential associations between this ingestion and the biological characteristics of the fishes, such as species, feeding habits and body size.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study took place at the Curia\u0026uacute; River Resort (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) in areas close to places where bathers visit throughout the year, but especially during the summer months (July to December). The study area is in the Curia\u0026uacute; River Environmental Protection Area (APA do Curia\u0026uacute;) located in the urban expansion area of the Municipality of Macap\u0026aacute;, state of Amap\u0026aacute;, Brazilian Amazon. (Chellappa et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e) in the vicinity of the coordinates 0\u0026deg;8\u0026apos;44.07\u0026quot;N, 51\u0026deg;2\u0026apos;31.58\u0026quot;W (Map 1). The Curia\u0026uacute; APA covers a small area (23,000 ha) in contrast to its high diversity of ecosystems such as savannas, dry-land forests, flooded forests and floodplains. The Curia\u0026uacute; River is a floodplain-system, with a dry (low-water) season occurring from July to December, and a rainy (high-water) season from January to June. (Chellappa et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFishes were collected by residents of the Curia\u0026uacute; APA, in October 2022 and April 2023, corresponding to the dry and flood periods, respectively. Study specimens were donated to the Amap\u0026aacute; Fauna Scientific Collection based at the Amap\u0026aacute; Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IEPA).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gills and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) from the upper part of the esophagus to the anus were removed from each study specimen after taxonomic identification. The stomachs were then separated from the intestines and analyzed under a stereoscopic microscope to identify the feeding habits of each species. All samples (gills, stomachs, intestines) were transferred to individual glass beakers and taken to the Food Laboratory of the IEPA Food Science and Technology Center. There the samples were treated with a 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution and the beakers were covered with aluminum foil to prevent possible contamination and evaporation. The samples were then heated at a temperature of 60\u0026deg;C for 24 hours (Suwartiningsih et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), which according to Dehaut et al. (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) is the most effective protocol for the digestion of organic matter and preservation of microplastics (MPs). After digestion, the remaining solution was poured through 50 \u0026micro;m pore size filters in the IEPA Ichthyology Laboratory. The filters were placed onto sterile petri dishes for microscopic examination of microplastics. Finally, the plastics were visually assessed and categorized by color, size, and shape (i.e., fiber, fragment, line, film, or foam).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll laboratory procedures involved necessary precautions to avoid possible contamination of the samples. Laboratory personnel always wore nitrile gloves and cotton lab coats during analysis. Laboratory surfaces and digestion equipment were cleaned with pure water before and after each dissection. Before use, filters were inspected under the microscope for the existence of MPs. Control blanks were made for each day of analysis before beginning the sample digestion. For control blanks, a beaker was filled with 50 ml of the same KOH solution and covered with aluminum foil; these blanks were exposed to the same protocol applied to the samples.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData were analyzed by species, feeding guild, and collection period. Microplastic values were subjected to the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and homoscedasticity of variances (Levene) (Sokal and Rohlf \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e) according to the most abundant species, guilds and collection period. Since microplastic values did not meet normality, the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test was used to compare the most abundant species and guilds, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to verify differences between collection periods with a 95% confidence interval. Spearman correlations were performed between total length and weight and the amount of microplastics found for the most abundant species. All analyses were performed with the Statistica 7.0 program. StatSoft, Inc. (2004). STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 7. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ewww.statsoft.com\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eOur analysis involved a total of 122 wild-caught fishes distributed among 14 species (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e01\u003c/span\u003e); 92 and 30 specimens were collected during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. Microplastics were not found in only five specimens representing the species \u003cem\u003eHoplias malabaricus\u003c/em\u003e (1), \u003cem\u003eMetynnis lippincottianus\u003c/em\u003e (3) and \u003cem\u003eSatanoperca jurupari\u003c/em\u003e (1), all from the dry-season collecting efforts. A total of 732 microplastics, all classified as fibers, were found in the 117 remaining specimens.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of specimens (n) and mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviation (M\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD) of the amount of microplastics per species and their feeding habits (guild)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD (cm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGuild\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcestrorhynchus altus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8,00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePiscivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAequidens\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3,50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0,71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBryconops melanurus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8,80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3,84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrenicichla johana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2,50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0,71\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrenicichla\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12,00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14,73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCreniciclha\u003c/em\u003e cf. \u003cem\u003ejohanna\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6,25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1,26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGeophagus\u003c/em\u003e sp.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10,30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5,31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeros severus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2,00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHoplias malabaricus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5,50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7,78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePiscivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMesonauta acora\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7,33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5,74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMetynnis lippincottianus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3,69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2,74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHerbivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSatanoperca jurupari\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4,04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2,65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSerrasalmus maculatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5,00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcestrorhynchus falcirostris\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8,38\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4,14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFibers of various colors were found in the three samples (gill, stomach, intestine): blue (59%), black (33%) red (6%), green (1%), and lilac (1%). The average size of the fibers was 0.27 cm, with green fibers being the largest (avg. 0.33 cm), followed by lilac (0.30 cm), blue (0.27 cm), red (0.24 cm) and black (0.23 cm) fibers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on stomach contents, the species analyzed exhibited four different feeding habits (guilds): herbivore, carnivore, piscivore and omnivore. Microplastics were found in all guilds (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) during both collection periods (dry and wet seasons).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of specimens and mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviation of the amount of microplastics by feeding habits (Guild)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGuild\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;SD (MP)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8,67\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5,33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHerbivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3,69\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2,74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOmnivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6,04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4,78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePiscivore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5,25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3,20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMicroplastics occurrence was highest (76%) in samples from the digestive tract (46% stomach and 30% intestines) with only 24% in samples from the gills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFish collected during the rainy season ingested a higher quantity of microplastics (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) when compared to fish from the dry season (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor the six most abundant species, the Kruskal-Wallis test identified two groups (a, b) with significant differences (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between them in relation to microplastic consumption in the study area (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Group \u003cem\u003ea\u003c/em\u003e species (\u003cem\u003eBryconops melanurus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGeophagus\u003c/em\u003e sp. and \u003cem\u003eAcestrorhynchus falcirostris\u003c/em\u003e) differed significantly from those of group b (\u003cem\u003eMetynnis lippincottianus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSatonoperca jurupari\u003c/em\u003e). \u003cem\u003eMesonauta acora\u003c/em\u003e spanned both groups (a, b) and thus did not differ from the other species.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor the four different feeding guilds, the Kruskal-Wallis test identified three groups (a, b, c) with significant differences (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) in microplastic consumption occurring between carnivores (b) and the herbivores and omnivores (c) (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Piscivores (a) did not significantly differ from any other guild.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe analysis of the relationship between microplastic consumption and fish weight (R\u0026sup2;=0,0032, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0,05) and length (R\u0026sup2;=0,0392, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0,05) was not significant for all specimens (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;122), showing that the body size does not influence the amount of microplastics ingested.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eAll microplastics found in the three samples analyzed (gills, stomach, and intestine) were classified as fibers. Similar studies worldwide have found fibers to be the dominant type of MP contaminant in fishes (Jabeen et al. 2016; Gomez et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Pappoe et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Kili\u0026ccedil; et al. 2022, Bellas et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e, Chan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e, Justino et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), suggesting that fibers are the most abundant microplastics ingested in aquatic environments.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe high frequency of microplastics in the current study (found in 95.9% of 122 individual fishes) was similar to those reported by Aunurohim et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) (99% of 74 individuals) and Suwartiningsih et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) (97.5% of 80 individuals), but higher than those of other fish diet studies such as Khan and Setu (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) (76% of 45 individuals) and as Vendel et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) (9% of 2233 individuals) and some others studies as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. This discrepancy can be explained in part by our use of the protocol developed by Dehaut et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) which highlights small plastic particles that cannot be observed \u003cem\u003ein situ\u003c/em\u003e (i.e., within the digestive tract and its contents). Microplastics also adhere to the mucus of gill filaments, a fact that makes it extremely difficult to visualize them, even under a microscope. The chemical digestion of organic matter leaves only the inorganic matter visible, such as ingested sediments and synthetic materials, highlighting the occurrence of microplastics.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMicroplastics found in both marine and freshwater environments can be transparent or display a wide variety of colors, including black, blue, gray, green, red, white, purple, or yellow (Wang et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Experimentally, it has been observed that some fish species prefer ingesting certain colors of plastics, and the prevalence of different colors of microplastics can vary widely across sampling sites (Horie et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). The predominance of blue and black fibers in the analyzed fishes follows a general pattern of occurrence found in other similar studies. For example, the most common colors were black, white and blue among microplastics reported by Khan and Setu (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) in freshwater fishes in Bangladesh, black in demersal fish from the Spanish Coast and Mediterranean Sea (Bellas et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) and pelagic and demersal fish in Indonesia (Aunurohim et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), and black, blue and red in serrasalmids from Xingu River, Brazil (Andrade et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe occurrence of microplastics in the three different samples from each individual (gill, stomach and intestine), indicates that these particles contaminate the fish through two different pathways: one passive, with the accumulation of plastic in the mucus of the gills during swimming or breathing (Parker et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), and the other active, due to feeding activity, wherein ingestion may or may not be voluntary. Ingested plastics presumably return to the environment with the fishes\u0026rsquo; feces, otherwise larger fishes would have a greater accumulation of fibers in their stomach and intestine. We found no correlation between fish body size and the ingestion of microplastics, as did Chan et al. (2029) in Hong Kong Coast and Vendel et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) in Paraiba and Mamanguape River estuary (Brazil). Suwartiningsih et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) found only a weak correlation in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, whereas Khan and Setu (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) found body size to be positively correlated with microplastic abundance in fish specimens from the Jamuna River, Bangladesh. Our analyses were unable to determine the proportion of ingested microplastics potentially absorbed into the bloodstream and incorporated into the fishes\u0026rsquo; bodies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComparison of microplastic occurrence in fishes. GIT\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;gastrointestinal tract, C\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;carnivore, H\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Herbivore, O\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Omnivore, P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Piscivorous, Z\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Zoobenthivorous, I\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Insectivore, Il\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Iliophage, D\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Detritivore, A\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Algae eaters, Zo\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Zooplanktivores, B\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Benthivores, G\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Generalists, Pl\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Planktivorous\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocation of Study\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHabitat\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo. of fish species\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrophic Guilds\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSamples\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMethod\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal No. of Individuals Examined (no. with microplastics)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e% with Microplastics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndonesia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKOH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75 (74)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAunurohim et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndonesia\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKOH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80 (78)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e97.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSuwartiningsih et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrazil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFreshwater\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC, H, O, P\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGill, GIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKOH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e122 (117)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95.9%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ethis study\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBangladesh\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFreshwater\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH, C, O\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45 (34)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKhan and Setu \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrazil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrackish\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eD, Z, P\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaOH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82 (69)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJustino et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGhana\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKOH\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e115 (79)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68.7%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePappoe et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrazil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eO, Z\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStereomicroscope\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e214 (118)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDantas et al \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChina\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine, brackish\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e147 (80)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrazil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFreshwater\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC, H, O\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStereomicroscope\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e172 (46)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.7%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAndrade et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpain\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaOH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e212 (37)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBellas et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhilippines\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaOCl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e180 (21)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.67%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGomez et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrazil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrackish\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eA, Zo, Z, B, G\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStereomicroscope\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2233 (196)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVendel et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePanama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGIT\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStereomicroscope\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e292 (6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.10%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOry et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrazil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFreshwater\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eO, I, P, Il\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStereomicroscope\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e220 (4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.8%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOliveira et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDantas et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) reported that microplastic ingestion does not depend on eating habits of marine fishes in Cear\u0026aacute; State (Brazil); however, they analyzed only two trophic guilds (see Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Khan and Setu (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) also found no significant differences between feeding habits and microplastics ingestion. Nevertheless, other studies have shown that microplastic ingestion varies according to feeding strategy (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Ismail et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) reported that herbivorous fishes of Biawak Island showed a higher density microplastics, while Andrade et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) found small differences in MP intake patterns between fish guilds observed in the Xingu River. In the current study, we observed a significant difference between feeding habits and microplastic consumption, suggesting that piscivorous fishes ingest not only the MPs of their prey, but MPs taken incidentally during prey capture (Justino et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) and respiration. Parker et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) indicated that the ingestion of microplastics by fish may be related to their feeding activity, which would be directly influenced by environmental conditions that determine the prey\u0026rsquo;s abundance and type (Jobling \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e). Habitats that concentrate or receive a lot of microplastics also increase the chance of microplastics being ingested (Wright et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; G\u0026uuml;ven et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the environment, MP deposition and accumulation patterns may vary by substrate (i.e., sediments vs. plants) and in the water column. These patterns influence the amount of MP ingested by fishes according to their diet and feeding habits (on the bottom vs. in the water column, as for piscivores). Accordingly to our results, piscivores and omnivores occupy an intermediate position (Fig.\u0026nbsp;9) between carnivores and herbivores. This also explains the higher consumption of microplastics among fishes collected during the high-water season, a period when food availability is greater and consequently fish increase their feeding activity. In addition, the dry (low-water) season can affect the availability of MP in the water. Reduced flows and shallower depths cause microplastics to accumulate in the banks and substrate, thereby decreasing their availability in the water (Han et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). During the rainy season, rainwater becomes an important carrier of MP, as it removes MP from the atmosphere causing the phenomenon known as plastic rain (Brahney et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, the increase in rainwater and flooding during the rainy season increases the amount of microplastics suspended in the water column. All this emphasizes that hydrological changes affect not only the quantity, but also the quality of the food (Oliveira et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions/final considerations","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study showed that the Curia\u0026uacute; Resort is affected by microplastic pollution, and that fish regularly consume these particles. It can be concluded that plastic pollution in the waters of the Curia\u0026uacute; River is already impacting the aquatic fauna and that this problem should carefully monitored. Not only can these particles cause diseases and problems for fishes, but these fishes are part of the diet of much of the population of Amap\u0026aacute; State and this contamination can affect their health as well.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study provides valuable baseline data on the ingestion of microplastics by fishes in the Curia\u0026uacute; Resort, a protected area frequented by tourists and fishermen and with great social and ecological value.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCSG contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by LMM, TCS, AAP and KRR and supervised by CSG. Thes statistical analysis and interpretation were carried by LMAS and LMM. The digestion of the samples was supervised by CSG and ACFS. The first draft of the manuscript was written by CSG and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to thank Dr. Mark Sabaj for his insights and help reviewing this manuscript and to Andrio L. M. de Souza for his help in creating the map.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAndrade MC, Winemiller KO, Barbosa PS, Fortunati A, Chelazzi D, Cincinelli A, Giarrizzo T (2019) First account of plastic pollution impacting freshwater fishes in the Amazon: Ingestion of plastic debris by piranhas and other serrasalmids with diverse feeding habits. 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Environ Pollut 178:483\u0026ndash;492. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.02.031\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.envpol.2013.02.031\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Map","content":"\u003cp\u003eMap 1 is available in the Supplementary Files section.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"aquatic-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"aqsc","sideBox":"Learn more about [Aquatic Sciences](http://link.springer.com/journal/27)","snPcode":"27","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/27/3","title":"Aquatic Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Plastic pollution, Microplastic, Trophic guild, Microplastic ingestion, Freshwater fishes","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6497873/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6497873/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePlastics are used in almost every aspect of modern life from construction and electronics to clothing and food packaging. Freshwater ecosystems are the ultimate destination for many pollutants including plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, so-called microplastics. When available in the aquatic environment, these particles are actively or passively consumed by fishes. Studies on the natural diet of fishes can highlight and elucidate the impacts of this pollutant on aquatic ecosystems. The stomachs, intestines and gills from 122 fishes collected from Curia\u0026uacute; River Resort during the dry and rainy seasons, were analyzed by chemical digestion with KOH to verify the presence of microplastics. The fishes were categorized by taxa (14 species), feeding guild (herbivore, carnivore, piscivore, omnivore) and collection period (dry vs. rainy). We found a total of 732 microplastics, all classified as fibers, in 96% of the fishes examined. The predominant colors of the fibers were blue (59%) and black (33%). The highest consumption of microplastics occurred during the rainy season. Among the six most abundant species sampled, microplastics were most common in \u003cem\u003eGeophagus\u003c/em\u003e sp., a fish that forages by sifting substrates dominated by sand. We also found differences between feeding guilds with carnivores scoring highest in the consumption of microplastics. We found no association between fish size and weight and the quantity of microplastics consumed. This study provides valuable baseline data on the ingestion of microplastics by fishes in the Curia\u0026uacute; Resort, and new insights into microplastic consumption by freshwater fishes. Our results are compared to similar studies of fishes in aquatic environments around the world.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Study on the consumption of microplastics by fishes in a floodplain lake of the Curiaú River (Macapá – Amapá, Brazil)","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-30 13:01:21","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6497873/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-05-14T14:27:00+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-14T13:59:23+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-12T19:27:22+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"191994156892818703715387992231001459481","date":"2025-05-05T13:24:54+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-04T20:32:59+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"166211648540495778544435673247055594305","date":"2025-04-28T18:02:42+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"91344098941862755577099771376799601218","date":"2025-04-28T16:03:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-04-28T14:43:43+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-04-27T20:35:07+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-04-26T17:55:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Aquatic Sciences","date":"2025-04-21T16:58:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"aquatic-sciences","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"aqsc","sideBox":"Learn more about [Aquatic Sciences](http://link.springer.com/journal/27)","snPcode":"27","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/27/3","title":"Aquatic Sciences","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bd24197d-f422-43cb-a59e-0c91d7878bad","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 30th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-07-14T16:08:20+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6497873","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-025-01203-0","journal":{"identity":"aquatic-sciences","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Aquatic Sciences"},"publishedOn":"2025-07-09 15:57:20","publishedOnDateReadable":"July 9th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-30 13:01:21","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s00027-025-01203-0","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-025-01203-0","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6497873","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6497873","identity":"rs-6497873","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}