Researchers Find Microplastics in Caddisfly Casings From 1970s, Hints at Long-Term Contamination Risk

An expert team of biologists practising at the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, a research museum in the Netherlands, has recently discovered evidence of the incorporation of microplastics into caddisfly casings. However, what's even more interesting is that the use of these microplastics for building the casings has been progressing from as far back as the 1970s. This breaks the traditional understanding of how far back the impact of microplastics goes. If the research is to be believed, microplastics began damaging the environment half a century ago.

What is a Caddisfly?

As per a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, this team of biologists exemplified the discovery of microplastics in larval casings at the museum. A caddisfly is a moth-like insect that is found near freshwater habitats like lakes and streams. These are found in most countries across the world. Caddisflies make their home near freshwater streams and deposit their eggs in the form of jelly. Once the larva hatches, cladissfly begin to incorporate materials from their surroundings to protect themselves from predators.

How was the Discovery made?

The discovery commenced when something colourful was witnessed on one larva casing by one of the team members of the biologists. Further investigation confirmed that the colourful component on the larva was microplastic. With this discovery, the biologists decided to observe the other 549 casings from their collection over several decades. As a result of their study, many casings were found to have microplastics on them.

To elaborate further, one of the casings from the year 1986 had multiple blue colored microplastics. Likewise, another casing, dated back to 1971, possessed yellow plastic.

The Researcher's Perspective

Post-discovering microplastics on cladissfly casing, the researchers suggest that the contamination of the environment has been going on for at least half a century. Significantly, they have proposed the possibility of other species being impacted by the same.

The microplastics present on the casings are compromising the safety of claddisflies as they increase visibility, which raises the chances of getting noticed by the predators. Natural materials used in building casing are being dominated by these microplastics. These factors are putting these creatures at great risk of being found and eaten by fish and birds.