Plastics in the aquatic environment can release additive chemicals that induce toxicity to organisms affecting environmental quality that may be harmful to human health. The present study aims to evaluate the impacts of exposure to plastic exudates on the fertilization success of the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus. Macroplastics were collected on the Vermelha Beach (Rio de Janeiro-Brazil), screened, and subsequently kept in a glass aquarium with artificial seawater (17.5 g plastics L-1) for 40 days at 40°C to stimulate exudates release in the water. Sea urchins (n= 10) were manually sampled by free diving and, after acclimation in the laboratory (48 h), gametes release was induced (0.5 M KCl). Gametes of females (30 oocytes mL-1) and males (105 spermatozoa mL-1) were added to glass Erlenmeyers (200 mL) with filtered seawater and 0% (control), 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of exudates solution (Neves et al., 2018). After 24h of incubations in controlled conditions, aliquots (5 mL) of each replicate (n= 3 by concentration) were collected for examination under an inverted microscope. A significant effect of exposure to plastic exudates was evidenced in the fertilization success of the sea urchin (one-way ANOVA, p
Plastic exsudates induces negatives effects on fertilization of Lythechinus variegatus (Echinoidea: Echinodermata)
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