Wednesday, 19 September 2018

Microplastics Get to Surprising Places

A study, using fluorescent microplastic beads, has shown that the larval forms of mosquito that live in freshwater and filter feed on algae take up these now almost ubiquitous pollutants and retain them in their bodies when they become blood-sucking (the females) or juice drinkers (the males) adults (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/19/microplastics-can-spread-via-flying-insects-research-shows). As the adults are fed up by larger organisms such as dragonflies as well as insectivorous birds and bats, this means that the microplastics are reaching areas that other environmental contaminants cannot reach!
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