Archived Historical Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Specimens Suggest Connections Between Microplastic Abundance Patterns, Trophic Traits, and Land Use

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous in the environment, with microplastics (particles < 5 mm) a worldwide emergent contaminant of concern; however, no studies have explored historical patterns in freshwater macroinvertebrates in connection to species traits and changes in land use. We measured microplastics in macroinvertebrates collected from 1998–2019 at six forest, urban, and agriculture dominated streams in the Schuylkill River watershed (PA, USA). We selected representative macroinvertebrates that underwent peroxide oxidation digestion and were examined for microplastics under a dissecting microscope with Rose Bengal dye to confirm microplastic identification. Microplastics were present in 134 individuals across 24 taxa and all functional feeding groups (FFGs). Abundance of microplastics in macroinvertebrates decreased through time with an increase of agriculture land use, whereas microplastics increased with an increase of urban land use. Collector-gatherer FFG had the greatest microplastic abundance, which may be linked to Elmidae and Psephenidae (Coleoptera), which tended to have the highest abundances of microplastics compared to all other taxa in some years. This relationship may be explained by the feeding mode of these families of macroinvertebrates and that gathering particles in the water column and scraping particles from biofilms may be similarly effective in the acquisition of microplastics. Overall, understanding microplastic temporal patterns and their connections to species traits and variations in land and water use is critical to developing a predictive framework for explaining microplastic abundance in the environment and interactions with aquatic biota.