Fifty Shades of Pollution: Microplastic Color Diversity in Mytilus galloprovnicialis (Lamarck, 1819) from the Black Sea, Bulgaria
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Date
2025-12-05
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Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski"
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants of global concern, infiltrating marine environments and posing potential risks to aquatic organisms. The Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis), a widely distributed and economically significant bivalve, serves as a reliable bioindicator for assessing MP pollution. In this study, mussels collected from the Bulgarian Black Sea coast were analyzed to determine the presence, abundance, polymer type, shape, and color composition of accumulated MPs in whole soft tissues. MPs of various colors were detected, with transparent and blue particles being the most prevalent, followed by white, black, red, green, and yellow. The observed chromatic diversity indicates multiple pollution sources, including domestic, urban, and maritime activities. These results highlight the extensive contamination of coastal ecosystems and reinforce the value of M. galloprovincialis as a sentinel species for monitoring both the quantity and qualitative attributes - such as color - of MPs in marine environments.
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Keywords
microplastics, color, mussels