Term of Award

Summer 2025

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Biology

Committee Chair

Risa Cohen

Committee Member 1

Abid Shaikh

Committee Member 2

John Carroll

Abstract

Microplastic fibers (MFs) are prevalent marine pollutants shed from laundered synthetic textiles (polyester). Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are filter feeders who frequently mistake MFs for food particles. Once ingested, MFs not only abrade and block the digestive tract but may also increase exposure to chemicals that readily adhere to their surfaces. For example, synthetic estrogen (EE2) used to regulate reproduction in livestock and humans reaches the ocean in wastewater and runoff. There, EE2 accumulates in sediment increasing likelihood of contact with oysters, and potential for altered development, growth, and survival. A laboratory experiment tested the hypotheses that C. virginica take up MFs and EE2 from the environment and that MFs affect EE2 uptake. Male oysters (~30 mm) were exposed to 1) no-addition control, 2) 45-μm PET MFs at 500 fibers L-1, 3) EE2 at 100 μg L-1, or 4) both MFs and EE2 for 28 days. Exposure to MFs and/or EE2 resulted in higher tissue concentrations of these pollutants compared to unexposed oysters, however, the presence of MFs did not increase tissue EE2 concentration more than exposure to EE2 alone. EE2 increased growth rate in mass. A field survey in which oysters were collected from 14 sites demonstrated that C. virginica are simultaneously exposed to MFs and EE2 in coastal Georgia. Transfer of these contaminants to higher trophic levels and humans from this ecologically and commercially important species is of concern.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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