Tapirs, bats and nests: How plastic infiltrates Amazonian wildlife

Researchers found microplastics in the digestive tracts of roughly 80% of fish sampled from Prato Lake, a remote body of water inside Brazil's Anavilhanas National Park, despite the site's distance from any city. A related study measured particles in the park's waters directly, at levels researchers called far lower than in Amazonian cities but still universally present.

Scientists trace much of the contamination to untreated sewage and garbage entering small forest streams called igarapés, which then carry synthetic fibers and plastic fragments into lakes and rivers during seasonal flooding. Experiments found high mortality in caddisfly larvae exposed to microplastics, with die-off rates far above unpolluted conditions.

Because these insects sit at the base of the food chain, researchers say contamination passes upward to fish and, eventually, into the surrounding forest as insects mature into flying adults.

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