Presentation Type
Poster
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Eric Rosch, Marine Science
Major
Marine Science
Presentation Abstract
Microplastics pose a great threat to the natural environment, a threat not aided by their increasing abundance in marine waters. To assess how this is affecting our local area, I examined the microplastic concentration in fiddler crabs, a keystone species in intertidal zones, from two marsh systems in Murrells Inlet. The quantity, color, and type of microplastic found were recorded from each of the 120 crabs sampled. This information is revelant not only in monitoring the health of a species that plays a major role in nutrient recycling and prevention of anoxic conditions, but also as a caution to us. Fiddler crabs are a main food source for many commercially important fish species, and the effects of biomagnification of plastic contamination is becoming a public health issue, as it can damage cells and lead to cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the health of this local species provides an insight into our own.
Location
Poster Session 2
Start Date
13-4-2022 4:30 PM
End Date
13-4-2022 6:30 PM
Disciplines
Oceanography
Recommended Citation
Conner, Caroline, "Microplastic Concentration Analysis of the Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab (Leptuca pugilator) in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina" (2022). Undergraduate Research Competition. 20.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2022/fullconference/20
Included in
Microplastic Concentration Analysis of the Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab (Leptuca pugilator) in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
Poster Session 2
Microplastics pose a great threat to the natural environment, a threat not aided by their increasing abundance in marine waters. To assess how this is affecting our local area, I examined the microplastic concentration in fiddler crabs, a keystone species in intertidal zones, from two marsh systems in Murrells Inlet. The quantity, color, and type of microplastic found were recorded from each of the 120 crabs sampled. This information is revelant not only in monitoring the health of a species that plays a major role in nutrient recycling and prevention of anoxic conditions, but also as a caution to us. Fiddler crabs are a main food source for many commercially important fish species, and the effects of biomagnification of plastic contamination is becoming a public health issue, as it can damage cells and lead to cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the health of this local species provides an insight into our own.