Ecotoxicological Effects of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Microplastics on the Growth, Reproduction and Survival of Daphnia magna

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the ecotoxicological effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics on Daphnia magna. Five experimental groups were estab-lished. These were the microplastic group (MP), the microalgae group (Chlorella sorokiniana, KS), the combined microalgae and microplastic group (KS+MP), the commercial yeast group (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, TM), and the combined yeast and microplastic group (TM+MP). The exposure period lasted for 21 days. Survival, growth, and reproductive parameters were evaluated. The highest mortality rate was recorded in the MP group with 86.7%, followed by the TM+MP group with 70%. The mortality rates in the KS, TM, and KS+MP groups were 3.3%, 10%, and 56.7%, respectively. Microplastic exposure significantly reduced body length. On day 21, the mean body length was 1.76 mm in the MP group and 3.14 mm in the KS group. The number of eggs and offspring markedly decreased in all micro-plastic-exposed groups, with the lowest reproductive success observed in the MP group. Diets containing microalgae partially mitigated toxicity, though this effect diminished under chronic exposure. The findings indicate that mi-croplastics cause both physical blockage and physiological stress, adversely affecting the growth, reproduction, and lifespan of Daphnia magna, posing a significant eco-logical risk to freshwater ecosystems.

Keywords

• Daphnia magna
• Freshwater ecosystem
• microplastics

Polivinil Klorür (PVC) Mikroplastiklerinin Daphnia magna’nın Büyüme, Üreme ve Hayatta Kalması Üzerindeki Ekotoksikolojik Etkileri

Abstract

Bu çalışma polivinil klorür (PVC) mikroplastiklerin Daphnia magna üzerindeki eko-toksikolojik etkilerini belirlemek amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Deneyde beş farklı grup oluşturulmuştur. Gruplar mikroplastik (MP), mikroalg (Chlorella sorokiniana, KS), mikroalg ve mikroplastik karışımı (KS+MP), ticari maya (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, TM) ve ticari maya ile mikroplastik karışımı (TM+MP) olarak belirlenmiştir. Deney süresi 21 gündür. Hayatta kalma, büyüme ve üreme parametreleri incelenmiştir. En yüksek ölüm oranı MP grubunda %86,7 olarak kaydedilmiştir. TM+MP grubunda bu oran %70’tir. KS grubunda ölüm oranı %3,3, TM grubunda %10, KS+MP grubunda ise %56,7 olarak belirlenmiştir. Mikroplastik maruziyeti vücut uzunluğunu önemli ölçüde azaltmıştır. 21. gün sonunda ortalama uzunluk MP grubunda 1,76 mm, KS grubunda 3,14 mm’dir. Mikroplastik içeren gruplarda yumurta ve yavru sayısı azalmıştır. En düşük üreme başarısı MP grubunda gözlenmiştir. Mikroalg içeren ortamlar toksisiteyi kısmen azaltmış ancak kronik maruziyetlerde bu etki azalmıştır. Bulgular mikroplas-tiklerin fiziksel tıkanma ve fizyolojik stres oluşturarak Daphnia magna’nın büyüme, üreme ve yaşam süresini olumsuz etkilediğini göstermiştir.

Keywords

• Daphnia magna
• tatlı su ekosistemi
• mikroplastik

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