Diet characteristics of tidal creek-associated fishes of the northeastern Arabian Sea with special reference to microplastic ingestion

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 363; p. 142886
• Main Authors: Mallik, Abhijit, Chakraborty, Puja, Ramteke, Karan Kumar, Bhavan, Sreekanth Giri, Jaiswar, Ashok Kumar, Nayak, Binaya Bhushan, Pal, Prasenjit, Bhushan, Shashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2024
• Subjects: And polymer hazard index; Diet characteristics; Feeding guild; Microplastics; Trophic level; Diet characteristics; Feeding guild; Microplastics; Trophic level; And polymer hazard index; feeding guild; microplastics; trophic level; and polymer hazard index
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142886

The present study assessed the diet characteristics, trophic guild structure, and microplastics (MPs) ingestion by a group of fish sourced from the tidal creeks of the Mumbai coast along the Eastern Arabian Sea. The diet patterns were characterized using gastro-somatic index (GaSI), relative length of gut (RGL), diet overlap (α), diet breadth (Bi), and relative abundance of food items (%IOP), with a special emphasis on MPs contamination. The findings revealed that teleost and shrimps are the most preferred food items for these species. Whereas MPs contribute 5.50% of the total diet composition of the selected fishes. Additionally, we tried to find out the influence of fish size and dietary attributes on MP ingestion, identifying trophic level as a significant factor influencing contamination levels. Using the Polymer Hazard Index (PHI), the potential risks posed by MPs in fish samples were assessed, revealing notable discrepancies among polymers. For instance, polyvinyl chloride showed the highest PHI score of 198.75 and a hazard score reaching the highest risk category (IV), indicating substantial environmental risk. In summary, our findings highlight the impact of fish diet characteristics on MPs contamination and the varying levels of MP risks along the Mumbai coast, categorized according to polymer type from low to high risk. [Display omitted] •Small teleost and shrimps emerge as the most dominant prey items.•Diet breadth index for each species shows the generalist feeding behaviour.•Microplastics contribute 5.50% of the total diet composition of the selected fishes.•Lower trophic-level fishes tend to be more contaminated with microplastics.•Polymer hazard index reveals a high risk of microplastic pollution on the Mumbai coast of the eastern Arabian Sea.