The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchops

Microplastics (MPs) represent one of the most significant global environmental issues due to their widespread use in consumer materials. The rapid growth of plastic product consumption leads to unmanaged waste separation and elimination. Microplastic contamination has been reported in diverse enviro...

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Main Authors: Chompoonut Pengchui, Udomsak Darumas, Suchana Chavanich, Pakpimol Ungcharoenwiwat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Arab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/25765299.2025.2524931
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author Chompoonut Pengchui
Udomsak Darumas
Suchana Chavanich
Pakpimol Ungcharoenwiwat
author_facet Chompoonut Pengchui
Udomsak Darumas
Suchana Chavanich
Pakpimol Ungcharoenwiwat
author_sort Chompoonut Pengchui
collection DOAJ
description Microplastics (MPs) represent one of the most significant global environmental issues due to their widespread use in consumer materials. The rapid growth of plastic product consumption leads to unmanaged waste separation and elimination. Microplastic contamination has been reported in diverse environments, up to 76% found in ocean habitats as well as animal tissues. Twenty-four samples of Cerberus rynchops, also known as dog-faced water snake, were collected from the mangrove forest area of Ao Thong Kham, Ban Nai Thung beach, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Stomach content analysis revealed that the prey abundances consisted of two main species: Boleophthalmus boddarti (64.1%) and Periophthalmus chrysospilos (29.0%), with an additional unidentified fish species (6.9%). The microplastic abundance in gastrointestinal tract of C. rynchops was 143 items in all samples, with an average concentration of 5.96 items per individual. The most prevalent colours of microplastics were blue (49.0%), followed by black (18.2%) and colourless (12.6%). The dominant particle size ranges were 1–500 µm (34.5%), followed by 501–1000 µm (41.4%) and 1001–1500 µm (13.8%). The most common polymers identified by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy were polyester (53.3%) and polyethylene terephthalate (20.0%). The findings from this study indicate an increasing probability of microplastic contamination that may affect the life cycle and food chain within the ecosystem of this area.
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spelling doaj-art-128e166b35634fcba2eb9ace56211b0b2025-08-20T03:31:26ZengTaylor & Francis GroupArab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences2576-52992025-12-0132118819710.1080/25765299.2025.2524931The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchopsChompoonut Pengchui0Udomsak Darumas1Suchana Chavanich2Pakpimol Ungcharoenwiwat3School of Science, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, ThailandReef Biology Research Group, Department of Marine Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, ThailandReef Biology Research Group, Department of Marine Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, ThailandSchool of Science, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, ThailandMicroplastics (MPs) represent one of the most significant global environmental issues due to their widespread use in consumer materials. The rapid growth of plastic product consumption leads to unmanaged waste separation and elimination. Microplastic contamination has been reported in diverse environments, up to 76% found in ocean habitats as well as animal tissues. Twenty-four samples of Cerberus rynchops, also known as dog-faced water snake, were collected from the mangrove forest area of Ao Thong Kham, Ban Nai Thung beach, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Stomach content analysis revealed that the prey abundances consisted of two main species: Boleophthalmus boddarti (64.1%) and Periophthalmus chrysospilos (29.0%), with an additional unidentified fish species (6.9%). The microplastic abundance in gastrointestinal tract of C. rynchops was 143 items in all samples, with an average concentration of 5.96 items per individual. The most prevalent colours of microplastics were blue (49.0%), followed by black (18.2%) and colourless (12.6%). The dominant particle size ranges were 1–500 µm (34.5%), followed by 501–1000 µm (41.4%) and 1001–1500 µm (13.8%). The most common polymers identified by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy were polyester (53.3%) and polyethylene terephthalate (20.0%). The findings from this study indicate an increasing probability of microplastic contamination that may affect the life cycle and food chain within the ecosystem of this area.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/25765299.2025.2524931Cerberus rynchopsmicroplasticspolyesterpolyethylenestomach content
spellingShingle Chompoonut Pengchui
Udomsak Darumas
Suchana Chavanich
Pakpimol Ungcharoenwiwat
The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchops
Arab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
Cerberus rynchops
microplastics
polyester
polyethylene
stomach content
title The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchops
title_full The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchops
title_fullStr The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchops
title_full_unstemmed The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchops
title_short The examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of Cerberus rynchops
title_sort examination of food and microplastics in the digestive tract of cerberus rynchops
topic Cerberus rynchops
microplastics
polyester
polyethylene
stomach content
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/25765299.2025.2524931
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