Plastic pollution Slug is damaging, Beetle, snails and earthworms have found in new research, Increasing the entire food chain of Britain Has been contaminated,
Researchers found more than one of ten Insects Was Plastic pieces In their stomach, harmful chemicals are passed to large animals that feed them, such as birds and hedgehogs.
Studies by scientists of Sussex and Exeter universities analyzed more than 580 bug samples from 51 sites in Sussex.
Microplastics were found in about 12 percent of the bugs with the highest level recorded in earthworm (30 percent) and slugs and snails (24 percent).
Polyester, most likely from fabric, was the most common type of plastic found in the tested Aksheruki.
Researchers suspected that these plastic fibers came from dried human sewage mud which is used by some farmers as fertilizers and could contain fiber from washing machines.
A normal garden black beetle was found inside it with a 4.5 mm long piece of nylon- this is a quarter of her body length.
Although animals that feed in the case of plant had the highest rate of plastic, non -vegetarian insects, such as ladybirds, non -vegetarian pests.
Researchers say that findings create fresh concerns about the long -term effects of plastic pollution and its effect on biodiversity and it should no longer be seen as only a marine issue.
“We were surprised by how broad this plastic contamination is,” said the lead author Emily Thrift, Ecology Doctoral Tutor University of Sussex,
“This is the first study to find plastic that is constantly turning into an entire community of land Aksheruki.
“Similar plastic types were found in the hedgehog stool in our earlier research, and they are entering the diet of birds, mammals and reptiles through their inattentive hunting.”
A previous study on pests since 2024 showed that there may be an increase in ingestion in plastic, reduced fertility and changes in liver, kidneys and abdominal function in various species, which can increase alarm between protectionists.
In another 2020 study published in Journal Global Change Biology, a type of small bird, a type of small bird, which was found to be swallowing about 200 plastic particles a day from insects. Three out of three of the four found in birds were less than 0.5 mm in size, but were several millimeters up in length.
Professor Fiona Mathews, environmental biologist at the University of Sussex, stressed that microplastics are now found from bugs to mammals at every level of food chain.
He said: ‘Meditation currently focuses on garbage as the main source of contamination, but these conclusions suggest many sources from clothing to paint. ,
Researchers say that their work, which extends to four levels of six unknown groups and food chain, highlights the need to research how these various plastic are damaging the environment and implement strong measures to limit plastic pollution.