Scientists have found plastics in the guts of organisms in the Antarctica
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(https://www.france24.com/en/20200624-plastic-has-entered-antarctic-terrestrial-food-chain)
>Scientists have found bits of polystyrene in the guts of tiny, soil-dwelling organisms in the Antarctic, raising concern that microplastics pollution has already "deeply" entered the world's most remote land-based food systems.
While the infiltration of microplastics throughout the oceans is well-known, researchers said their findings provided the first evidence of contamination in the Antarctic terrestrial food chain.
>"Plastics have therefore entered even some of the most remote soil food webs on the planet, with potential risks for the whole biota and ecosystems," said authors of the study, published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters.
Researchers, led by scientists from Italy's University of Siena, collected the creatures from a chunk of polystyrene foam covered in a green layer of micro-algae, moss and lichens on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands.
Human activity in the area including scientific research stations, airport and military facilities, and tourism have acted to make it "one of the most contaminated regions of Antarctica".
By examining the collembola using an imaging technique with infrared and comparing the images to fragments of the polystyrene, the researchers "unequivocally" detected traces of the plastic in their guts.
The authors said they believed the creatures ate the plastic fragments while grazing on their usual food.
>Scientists have found bits of polystyrene in the guts of tiny, soil-dwelling organisms in the Antarctic, raising concern that microplastics pollution has already "deeply" entered the world's most remote land-based food systems.
While the infiltration of microplastics throughout the oceans is well-known, researchers said their findings provided the first evidence of contamination in the Antarctic terrestrial food chain.
>"Plastics have therefore entered even some of the most remote soil food webs on the planet, with potential risks for the whole biota and ecosystems," said authors of the study, published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters.
Researchers, led by scientists from Italy's University of Siena, collected the creatures from a chunk of polystyrene foam covered in a green layer of micro-algae, moss and lichens on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands.
Human activity in the area including scientific research stations, airport and military facilities, and tourism have acted to make it "one of the most contaminated regions of Antarctica".
By examining the collembola using an imaging technique with infrared and comparing the images to fragments of the polystyrene, the researchers "unequivocally" detected traces of the plastic in their guts.
The authors said they believed the creatures ate the plastic fragments while grazing on their usual food.
