Microplastic in the commercially important gastropod, Babylonia spirata, from Indus Delta, Pakistan

Authors

1 Jinnah University for Women, Nazimabad, Karachi, Pakistan

2 Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Vertebrate Pest Control Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan

10.22092/ijfs.2025.132833

Abstract

Mollusks, particularly gastropods, are crucial for ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, food web dynamics, habitat engineering, bioindication, erosion control, and species interactions. They function as carriers of contaminants for higher trophic-level organisms within the food chain. They are also thought to be sensitive markers of changes in the environment, particularly contaminants like heavy metals and microplastics. Due to the high prevalence of microplastics in both freshwater and marine organisms, microplastics are receiving more attention globally. Still, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding animals found in estuaries. In this baseline investigation, the distribution and abundance of microplastics in Babylonia spirata from Indus Delta, Sindh Pakistan are assessed.The mean abundance of microplastics in B. spirata was 28.81±12.94 items/ind and 16.54±12.53 items/g of tissue. Fibers were the dominant type of microplastics (69%), among which black color (37%) was common. PE (25.8%) was the dominant polymer type of microplastic which was identified by FTIR. Evaluating the degree to which B. spirata were contaminated by microplastics sheds light on the potential use of gastropods as bioindicators for baseline research and monitoring.

Keywords

Iranian Journal of Fisheries Sciences
Volume 24, Issue 2
March 2025
Pages 227-243

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