Effects of Heavy Metals and Microplastics on Wetland Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 4621

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
Interests: ecological risk; biological effects; mangrove; sediments; heavy metals; trace metals; wetland ecosystem

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Guest Editor
1. School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
2. Department of Fishereis and Marine Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali 3814, Bangladesh
Interests: aquatic ecology; aquatic environment; water pollution; aquatic biodiversity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wetlands are frequently considered as biodiversity hotspots and living laboratories due to their high species richness and diversity. They provide habitat for a wide range of plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Many species, including rare and endangered ones, depend on wetlands for breeding, feeding, and shelter. Many bird species, particularly waterfowl, rely on wetlands as critical stopover points during their migration from one to another place. Overall, they play a critical role in maintaining the health and functioning of our earth's ecosystems. Nonetheless, the adverse impact of increased human activities, which leads to excess levels of heavy metals and microplastics, has negative consequences for these precious wetland ecosystems, posing a significant threat to their fragile balance and the myriad life forms they sustain. Heavy metals (e.g., Pb, Hg, and Cd) accumulate in sediments and water, harming aquatic plants, animals, and even micro-organisms. This disturbs the food chain, impairs reproductive success, and jeopardizes the health of various species. Microplastics, on the other hand, intrude wetlands as minute particles that are ingested by various organisms, leading to internal damage and inhibiting growth and reproduction. These pollutants alter wetland habitats' physical and chemical properties, compromising water quality, reducing biodiversity, and impairing ecosystem services. The negative cascade effect of heavy metal and microplastic pollution stresses the urgency of comprehensive research and proactive management strategies to mitigate these threats and ensure the preservation of these invaluable ecosystems. Hence, we cordially invite you to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting your manuscripts focusing on the sources, transport, risk, and impacts of heavy metals and microplastics on wetlands' biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Hualong Hong
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Belal Hossain
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • heavy metals
  • microplastics
  • wetland ecosystems
  • ecology
  • risk assessment
  • food chain
  • health risk
  • emerging contaminants
  • water and sediment contamination
  • ecosystem health
  • exposure
  • polythelene

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1985 KiB  
Article
Microplastics in Different Tissues of a Commonly Consumed Fish, Scomberomorus guttatus, from a Large Subtropical Estuary: Accumulation, Characterization, and Contamination Assessment
by Mohammad Belal Hossain, Farjana Haque Pingki, Md. Abdus Samad Azad, As-Ad Ujjaman Nur, Partho Banik, Bilal Ahamad Paray, Takaomi Arai and Jimmy Yu
Biology 2023, 12(11), 1422; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12111422 - 12 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2230
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) ingestion by fish signifies a worldwide threat to human health but limited research has examined their existence within the consumable portions (muscle) of fish. Thus, this study was undertaken to unveil the prevalence, characterization, and contamination extent of MPs across various [...] Read more.
Microplastics (MPs) ingestion by fish signifies a worldwide threat to human health but limited research has examined their existence within the consumable portions (muscle) of fish. Thus, this study was undertaken to unveil the prevalence, characterization, and contamination extent of MPs across various body tissues, including the muscle of the king mackerel (S. guttatus) from the lower Meghna estuary in Bangladesh—a pioneering investigation in this region. In our analysis, we identified a total of 487 MPs, with an average abundance of 48.7 ± 20.3 MPs/individual. These MPs were distributed across different tissues, with respective concentrations of 0.84 ± 0.45 items/g in the digestive tract, 2.56 ± 0.73 items/g in the gills, and 0.3 ± 1.72 items/g in the muscle tissue. The observed variations among these tissue types were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Moreover, a significant positive correlation indicated that fish with higher weight had higher MPs in their gills and DT (digestive tract). The majority were <0.5 mm in size (97.74%) and exhibited a fiber-like shape (97.74%), with a notable prevalence of transparent (25.87%) and a pink coloration (27.92%). Remarkably, the majority of MPs were discovered within the size range of <0.5–1 mm (100%), particularly in the muscle tissue, signifying a substantial transfer of MPs into the human diet. Besides, we discovered only three polymer types of microplastics which could be attributed to the extensive use of food packaging, plastic containers, wrapping plastics, residential garbage, and plastic pipes that end up in the aquatic environment via river discharges. The contamination factor (CF) values of fish muscle (5.75) and the digestive tract (5.50) indicated that these fish organs were considerably contaminated (3 < CF < 6) with MPs. The pollution index of MPs (PLI > 1) indicated a high contamination level for MPs pollution of S. guttatus in the lower Meghna River estuary. Full article
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