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An expert team of biologists working at the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, a research museum in the Netherlands, has uncovered evidence of microplastics incorporated into caddisfly casings. What's more fascinating is that the use of these microplastics to manufacture casings has been increasing since the 1970s. This challenges the conventional wisdom about the long-term consequences of microplastics. According to study, microplastics began causing environmental damage half a century ago.
What is a caddisfly?
According to a research published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, this group of scientists demonstrated the detection of microplastics in larval casings at the museum. Caddisflies are moth-like insects that live near freshwater areas such as lakes and streams. These are present in the majority of countries throughout the world. Caddisflies live near freshwater streams and lay eggs in the form of jelly. When the larva hatches, the cladissfly begins to integrate components from their environment to defend themselves from predators.
How was the discovery made?
The finding began when one of the scientists' team members saw something colorful on one of the larva casings. Further examination revealed that the colorful component on the larva was microplastic. With this discovery, the scientists decided to examine the remaining 549 casings in their collection for several decades. As a consequence of their research, numerous casings were discovered to contain microplastics.
To elaborate, one of the casings from 1986 included several blue-colored microplastics. Similarly, another enclosure dating back to 1971 included yellow plastic.
The Researcher's Perspective
Following the discovery of microplastics on cladisfly casing, the researchers hypothesize that environmental contamination has been ongoing for at least a half-century. Significantly, they have argued that other species may be affected by the same.
The microplastics found on the casings endanger the safety of claddisflies because they increase visibility, increasing the likelihood of being observed by predators. These microplastics are taking over natural construction elements such as casing. These features place these organisms at high danger of being discovered and devoured by fish and birds.
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