MICROPLASTIC ACCUMULATION IN INVASIVE RED SWAMP CRAYFISH (PROCAMBARUS CLARKII) IN A HIGHLY URBANIZED RIVER

Microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems causes a range of negative impacts, including accumulating within aquatic organisms. Microplastics may act as physical blockages and can induce a range of inflammatory and immune responses in organisms. Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is a high-profile invasive species that is established widely around the world. Three studies have investigated microplastic presence in this species, and none have used a highly polluted waterway as a study site. We have investigated levels of microplastic in P. clarkii in the North Shore Channel of the Chicago River, which has some of the highest levels of microplastics ever recorded in an aquatic system. The O’Brien Wastewater Treatment Plant is the main source of microplastic pollution in the river. During summer 2023 we collected 16 P. clarkii from above, and 38 from below, the treatment plant (n=54). We also collected water (n=20) and sediment samples (n=30). Our initial analysis is dissecting a subset of crayfish (n=10) to look at microplastic loads in the GI tract, hepatopancreas, tail tissue, ovaries, and the remaining exoskeleton and tissues. Initial results show that microplastics can be found in at least the GI tract, hepatopancreas, and ovaries. From the ovaries of five female red swamp crayfish we retrieved 17.8 ± 8.04 (mean ± s.d.) microplastic particles. Our results show that microplastic pollution is not only entering crayfish in this urban waterway but that it is accumulating in multiple organs. Full results for all crayfish will be available and presented.

Primary Presenter: Tava Oosterbaan, Loyola University Chicago (toosterbaan@luc.edu)

Authors:

Tava Oosterbaan, Loyola University Chicago  (toosterbaan@luc.edu)

Reuben Keller, Loyola University Chicago  (rkeller1@luc.edu)