Image
ai
ge e ated
The
Amazo ’s
fish
live
i
wate
that
ca
cha ge
d amatically
with
the
seaso s.
I
some
places,
oxyge
levels
fall
so
low
that
o di a y
gill
b eathi g
is
ot
e ough.
Seve al
Amazo ia
species
have
adapted
by
taki g
oxyge
f om
the
ai
o
by
b eathi g
at
the
wate ’s
su face.
That
u usual
ability
is
ow
bei g
co side ed
alo gside
a othe
featu e
of
the
mode
Amazo :
plastic
pollutio .
Th ee
studies
poi t
to
diffe e t
pa ts
of
the
same
p oblem.
Plastic
has
bee
fou d
i
the
gills
a d
digestive
t acts
of
small
st eam
fish,
pla ts
alo g
the
Amazo
Rive
ca
t ap
plastic
pa ticles,
a d
a
ece t
eview
suggests
that
fish
adapted
to
b eathe
ai
may
have
pa ticula
vul e abilities
whe
mic oplastics
a e
p ese t.
How
Amazo
fish
i gest
plastic
th ough
food
a d
wate
A
study
published
i
Scie ceDi ect,
titled
‘Co tami atio
of
st eam
fish
by
plastic
waste
i
the
B azilia
Amazo ’,
exami ed
68
fish
ep ese ti g
14
species
f om
12
small
st eams
i
the
easte
B azilia
Amazo .
The
esea che s
looked
ot
just
at
what
the
fish
had
swallowed,
but
also
at
mate ial
attached
to
thei
gills.
The
disti ctio
matte s
because
the
gills
a e
i
co sta t
co tact
with
the
su ou di g
wate .
The
esults
we e
u usually
widesp ead.
Plastic
was
p ese t
i
98
pe
ce t
of
the
fish
exami ed,
while
87
pe
ce t
of
thei
digestive
t acts
co tai ed
plastic,
with
i dividual
t acts
holdi g
betwee
ze o
a d
12
pieces.
The
esea che s
also
fou d
that
the
amou t
a d
locatio
of
plastic
diffe ed
betwee
species.
C e icichla
ega i
a d
Pimelodella
ge ii,
fo
example,
had
mo e
plastic
attached
to
thei
gills
tha
seve al
othe
species.The
mate ial
was
ot
all
the
same.
Fib es
we e
the
most
commo
fo m
ove all,
while
the
smallest
pa ticles,
i cludi g
mic oplastics
a d
a oplastics,
we e
especially
likely
to
adhe e
to
gills.
The
study
desc ibed
the
patte
simply:
“The
smalle
the
pa ticle,
the
easie
it
is
to
adhe e
to
the
gills.”
That
gives
plastic
pollutio
two
possible
outes
i to
a
fish.
It
ca
be
swallowed
di ectly
o
e te
th ough
food
a d
det itus
ca yi g
plastic
pa ticles.
At
the
same
time,
wate
co ti uously
passes
ac oss
the
gills,
allowi g
small
pa ticles
to
become
attached
the e.
The
study
was
also
ca eful
ot
to
t eat
eve y
species
as
equally
vul e able.
Diffe e ces
i
feedi g
behaviou ,
habitat
a d
body
st uctu e
appea ed
to
matte .
Floati g
pla ts
ca
hold
plastic
i
diffe e t
pa ts
of
the
Amazo
Rive
The
plastic
does
ot
simply
d ift
dow st eam
a d
disappea .
A
study
published
i
Sp i ge
Natu e,
titled
‘The
ete tio
of
plastic
pa ticles
by
mac ophytes
i
the
Amazo
Rive ,
B azil’,
exami ed
aquatic
pla ts,
k ow
as
mac ophytes,
i
a
u ba ised
sectio
of
the
Amazo
Rive
i
B azil.
The
esea che s
sampled
77
quad ats
ac oss
23
pla t
ba ks
du i g
both
the
d y
seaso ,
i
Septembe
2020,
a d
the
ai y
seaso ,
i
Ju e
2021.Five
pla t
species
we e
eco ded.
Paspalum
epe s
accou ted
fo
the
la gest
sha e
of
accumulated
plastic
du i g
the
d y
seaso ,
while
Po tede ia
otu difolia
was
domi a t
du i g
the
ai y
seaso .
Plastic
accumulatio
was
pa ticula ly
high
i
those
two
species,
which
togethe
accou ted
fo
most
of
the
pa ticles
eco ded
i
the
vegetatio .Mic oplastics
appea ed
i
oughly
th ee-qua te s
of
the
samples
i
both
seaso s:
75.98
pe
ce t
du i g
the
d y
pe iod
a d
74.03
pe
ce t
du i g
the
ai y
pe iod.
Upst eam
pla t
ba ks
etai ed
mo e
plastic
tha
those
fa the
dow st eam.
The
pa ticles
we e
ofte
white
o
blue
f agme ts
measu i g
betwee
1
a d
5
millimet es,
while
labo ato y
ide tificatio
li ked
diffe e t
pieces
to
polyp opyle e,
polyethe e
a d
polysty e e.
This
c eates
a
mo e
complicated
pictu e
of
how
plastic
moves
th ough
a
ive .
Floati g
vegetatio
ca
act
as
a
tempo a y
t ap,
gathe i g
pa ticles
f om
the
wate
athe
tha
allowi g
all
of
them
to
co ti ue
t avelli g
with
the
cu e t.
Fish
movi g
th ough
o
feedi g
a ou d
these
habitats
may
the efo e
e cou te
plastic
i
places
whe e
food,
shelte
a d
vegetatio
a e
al eady
co ce t ated.
The
study
desc ibes
this
as
the
fi st
evide ce
of
plastic
pa ticles
bei g
etai ed
by
mac ophytes
i
the
Amazo .
It
does
ot
establish
that
the
pla ts
themselves
a e
causi g
fish
to
i gest
mo e
plastic,
but
it
does
show
that
vegetatio
ca
fo m
a othe
pa t
of
the
ive ’s
plastic-pollutio
pathway.
Why
plastic
pollutio
may
be
a
co ce
fo
A apaima
gigas
Acco di g
to
the
study
published
i
the
A als
of
the
B azilia
Academy
of
Scie ces,
titled
‘Pe spectives
o
the
impact
of
mic oplastics
(MPs)
o
fish
of
the
Amazo
that
exhibit
ai -b eathi g
a d
aquatic
su face
espi atio
’,
ma y
species
e cou te
pe iods
of
low
dissolved
oxyge
a d
high
ca bo
dioxide.
Some
have
co seque tly
developed
ai -b eathi g
o ga s
o
the
ability
to
take
oxyge
f om
the
su face.Species
i cludi g
A apaima
gigas,
the
pi a ucu,
a e
co side ed
i
te ms
of
how
thei
specialised
espi ato y
systems
might
i te act
with
mic oplastic
pollutio .
It
is
impo ta t
to
disti guish
this
pape
f om
the
st eam-fish
study:
it
is
a
p ospective
eview,
ot
a
ew
expe ime t
measu i g
mic oplastic
exposu e
i
ai -b eathi g
Amazo ia
fish.
The
autho s
themselves
say
that
the e
is
cu e tly
ve y
little
di ect
i fo matio
o
the
effects
of
mic oplastics
i
these
pa ticula
fish.
The
co ce
comes
pa tly
f om
the
st uctu e
of
thei
gills.
Ai -b eathi g
fish
ge e ally
have
smalle
gills
tha
closely
elated
species
that
ely
e ti ely
o
wate
fo
espi atio .
I
pi a ucu,
fo
example,
the
gills
become
substa tially
educed
as
the
fish
develops
its
specialised
ai -b eathi g
o ga .
Mic oplastics
ca
adhe e
to
gill
tissue
a d
cause
cloggi g
o
physical
damage
i
fish,
so
the
autho s
a gue
that
this
could
be
especially
sig ifica t
i
species
whose
gills
a e
al eady
highly
specialised.A d
b eathi g
ai
does
ot
mea
the
gills
become
i eleva t.
They
co ti ue
to
co t ibute
to
gas
excha ge
a d
emai
i volved
i
egulati g
salts,
acid-base
bala ce
a d
it oge ous
waste.
The
eview
the efo e
aises
the
possibility
that
plastic
pa ticles
affecti g
the
gills
could
i te fe e
with
seve al
physiological
fu ctio s
at
o ce.
The
digestive
system
aises
a othe
questio .
Some
Amazo ia
fish
ca
use
pa ts
of
the
gut
fo
ai
b eathi g,
pa ticula ly
species
that
live
u de
co ditio s
whe e
oxyge
i
the
wate
is
sca ce.
The
eview
otes
that
mic oplastics
ca
be
swallowed
eithe
di ectly
o
afte
becomi g
associated
with
p ey
a d
det itus.
I
o di a y
wate -b eathi g
fish,
the e
is
evide ce
that
mic oplastic
i gestio
ca
affect
the
gut,
although
whethe
pa ticles
c oss
the
gut
ba ie
appea s
to
depe d
o
facto s
i cludi g
thei
su face
chemist y.
Plastic
has
bee
fou d
i
Amazo
fish,
gills
a d
digestive
t acts
Take
togethe ,
the
studies
do
ot
show
that
eve y
Amazo ia
fish
is
bei g
ha med
by
plastic,
o
do
they
establish
the
same
effects
fo
eve y
species.
They
show
somethi g
mo e
basic:
plastic
is
p ese t
ac oss
seve al
pa ts
of
the
aquatic
e vi o me t,
a d
fish
e cou te
it
th ough
diffe e t
outes.The
st eam-fish
esea ch
p ovides
di ect
evide ce
of
plastic
i
gills
a d
digestive
t acts.
The
mac ophyte
study
shows
that
ive
vegetatio
ca
etai
plastic
pa ticles,
c eati g
a eas
whe e
fish
may
e cou te
them.
Fish
that
have
evolved
to
b eathe
ai
o
use
the
wate
su face
a e
st essed,
although
it
is
st essed
that
di ect
esea ch
o
these
species
emai s
sca ce.The
st o gest
evide ce
amo g
the
th ee
studies
is
obse vatio al
evide ce
of
co tami atio
i
fish
a d
vegetatio .
The
pote tial
co seque ces
fo
Amazo ia
ai -b eathi g
fish
a e,
at
this
stage,
la gely
a
esea ch
questio
athe
tha
a
established
outcome.
The
eview
explicitly
desc ibes
its
co clusio s
as
pe spectives
i te ded
to
e cou age
fu the
i vestigatio .
It
has
bee
detected
i
small
headwate -st eam
fish,
attached
to
gills,
i side
digestive
t acts
a d
etai ed
amo g
aquatic
pla ts.
Fo
species
whose
su vival
depe ds
o
fi ely
adapted
espi ato y
systems,
that
adds
a othe
e vi o me tal
p essu e
to
habitats
al eady
shaped
by
fluctuatio s
i
oxyge
a d
ca bo
dioxide.
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