Evidence of microplastics in water and commercial fish from a high-altitude mountain lake (Lake Titicaca)

Microplastic pollution is a widespread environmental concern. Like other anthro-pogenic pollutants, microplastics can reach aquatic ecosystems through rivers and interact with the aquatic biota. For instance, Lake Titicaca (between Bolivia and Peru), one of the great ancient lakes in South America (3,809 m a.s.l.), shows a pollution problem, particularly in the southern shallow basin (Lago Menor) in Bolivia. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the presence of microplastics and their interaction with the biota of Lake Titicaca is limited. Therefore, this study evaluated the presence of microplastics in the stomach content of the four fish species targeted by local fisheries in Lago Menor of Lake Titicaca (Orestias luteus, Orestias agassizii, Trichomycterus dispar, and Odonthestes bonariensis; N = 1,283), and looked for relationships with trophic guilds or fishing areas. Additionally, surface water was analyzed to evaluate the presence of microplastics in the water. The evaluation of microplastics was carried out by visual observations. We observed that the frequency of microplastic ingestion was low in all species (<5%). Conversely, microplastic was present in the water, with the highest quantity at the southern part of Lago Menor (103 +/- 20 particles per L), without differences in the microplastic number between sites. Most microplastics counted in stomach contents were fibers, whereas water samples mainly contained fragments. Our results point to microplastic pollution in Lago Menor of Lake Titicaca. However, we could not determine the pollution rate due to considerable methodological limitations. Further research will be needed to robustly detect microplastics in Lake Titicaca and their impact on the fish species in the lake.

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Loayza E. Barrientos A.C.T. y Janssens G.P.J. Evidence of microplastics in water and commercial fish from a high-altitude mountain lake (Lake Titicaca). PeerJ., 2022. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14112

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Tipo de recurso Artículo
Fecha de creación 05-11-2024
Fecha de última modificación 02-02-2025
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Identificador de los metadatos 8e2bcfd9-290b-5792-a8a5-cfc7f678a96b
Idioma de los metadatos Español
Temáticas (NTI-RISP)
Categoría del conjunto de alto valor (HVD) Observación de la Tierra y medio ambiente
Categoría temática ISO 19115 biota
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Nombre del autor Loayza, E., Barrientos, A.C.T. y Janssens, G.P.J.
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Identificador alternativo DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14112
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Email del autor der.loayzatorrico@ugent.be
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