Gruhn, Adrian (2020) Effects of microplastic on the digestion efficiency of juvenile Clupea harengus. (Bachelor thesis), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany, 28 pp.

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Abstract

The rising concentration of plastic or more specifically, microplastics (plastic particles smaller than5 mm) is a rising problem worldwide. Visual predatory fish, such as clupeidae, are susceptible to capture small debris floating within the water column that looks like their prey. Experiments in the laboratory were conducted to test the hypothesis that the ingestion of microplastics impairs the efficiency of the digestion of juvenile Atlantic herring Clupea harengus (Clupeidae) by reducing the ammonium excretion and the ratio of organic to inorganic matter in the faeces of the fish or that ingested plastic exposes the organism to stress and therefore rises the digestion efficiency to make up for the extended work of the body. The results of this study showed that fish that had ingested microplastics had higher ammonium excretion and an increased assimilation of organic matter compared to fish with no microplastics. These findings indicate that ingested microplastic puts the fish in a state of stress which then is answered with an elevated metabolism and a more efficient digestion than fish that did not ingest microplastic.

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