Caracterización de contaminación por microplásticos en peces según su ecología en la reserva de producción de fauna Manglares El Salado

Abstract

Microplastic (MP) pollution represents an increasing threat to aquatic ecosystems, affecting multiple species. This study aims to assess the presence of MP in catfish and tilapia from the El Salado Fauna Production Reserve´s Mangroves (RPFMS), considering the ecological differences between these two species. The objective is to analyze how these differences influence the accumulation of PM, providing a basis to better understand the environmental impacts in this reserve. We collected nineteen catfish and twenty tilapias from the reserve to assess the presence of MP. The fish were dissected to extract their digestive tract, and their contents were subjected to digestion with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as an oxidizing agent, followed by a density separation process using zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) and ethanol. The recovered microplastics were filtered and analyzed using optical microscopy. The results showed that MP were identified in all individuals analyzed, with fibers being the predominant form of MP, particularly transparent and blue colors. This study revealed that catfish tend to accumulate more MP than tilapia. This may be likely due to their benthic diet, so causing them be more exposed to plastic particles settled on the water's bottom. Keywords: microplastics, catfish, tilapia, pollution.