Assessment of climate change effects on microplastics toxicity in fish

• Grant number: 23/14504-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Vera Lucia Scherholz Salgado de Castro
• Grantee: Vera Lucia Scherholz Salgado de Castro
• Host Institution: Embrapa Meio-Ambiente. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Brasil). Jaguariúna , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alfredo José Barreto Luiz ; Claudio Martin Jonsson ; Diego Stéfani Teodoro Martinez ; Gabriela Helena da Silva ; Julio Ferraz de Queiroz ; Márcia Mayumi Ishikawa
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/09966-0 - Assessment of climate change effects on microplastics toxicity in fish, BP.TT

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are influenced by several environmental factors, such as, water temperature, oxygenation, nutrient availability, and exposure to UV rays. In addition, human activities can also be a threat due to the release of organic and inorganic compounds in aquatic ecosystems. Environmental and anthropogenic factors can interact to produce additive, synergistic or antagonistic effects. However, pollutant toxicity assessed by standardized bioassays may not correspond to actual pollutant toxicity under varying environmental conditions resulted by climate change. In this regard, investigating a broader range of exposure conditions can improve the accuracy of the risk of exposure to a pollutant, such as, microplastics (MPs). Thus, tests will be carried out on model organisms - fish subjected to average temperatures of experimentation and plus 3ºC. Tested MPs will also undergo aging and the addition of metals, such as, copper in order to simulate a more realistic assessment, since MPs are exposed to UV light in the environment and may undergo transformations. The results to be obtained are intended to help understanding the possible effects of MPs on fish, their relationship with global warming and their impact on fish farming. (AU)