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Microplastic (MP) in the aquatic environment contaminates the water column and is sedimentated and potentially transferred to the fish through food webs. The aquatic biomonitoring organisms are threatened by MPs, which are undegradable polymers and accumulate in the sediment, interfering with the organisms living on the bottom. Lusi Island has a high potential for accumulating plastic wastes of anthropogenic origin from the main river of Java Island and the Lapindo mud flow. This research aims to investigate the MP accumulation in the benthic organisms living in the waters of Lusi Island. The biotic samples were destroyed and diluted using 30% KOH. The water samples were tested using FeSû4 and H2O2, while the sediment samples were saturated in NaCI. The degraded samples were filtered in the Whatman paper for the MP concentration. A visual identification of MPs was carried out using a microscope with a magnification of 10x10. MPs level in the aquatic environment was relatively low, namely about 528 particles L1 and 253 particles g1 in water and sediment, respectively, while in the living organism, most MPs were found in the mudskipper fish, namely around 1592.44 particles g \ followed by the river catfish, red crab, and horn snail, at significantly lower levels, namely: 476.79 particles g \ 284.26 particles g \ and 173.33 particles g \ respectively. The high concentration of MPs may be due to the feed habits of the mudskipper; as a sediment-dwelling fish, it consumes more sediments than other organisms. High MP levels in the organism indicated that plastics, originating mainly from the sewage system, have already transferred and accumulated into the aquatic food webs. Thus, reducing plastic usage would help solve the MP contamination threat.
Keywords: benthic organism, microplastic contamination, invertebrates, vertebrates
Abstract
Introduction. Lusi Island is an artificial island formed by mud sedimentation following the Lapindo mud disaster and serves as a mud disposal facility (Miller & Mazzini 2018). The unique process of the island's formation determined its inclusion on the list of small protected islands in Indonesia. Thus, people tried to promote it as a tourism destination, specifically for silver-fishery activities, due to the opportunities offered by the existing mangrove forests and aquaculture activities. The island is located near the estuary of the Brantas River, one of...