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The potential for trophic transfer of micro-plastics in Thames Estuary food chains

Profile

Profile Display Name:	Alexandra McGoran
E-mail Address:	alexandra.mcgoran@gmail.com
Start Year	2017 (Cohort 4)
Research interests:	Plastic pollution in aquatic environments.
Hobbies and interests:	Art, Crafts, Crochet, illustration, sci art

PhD Project

PhD Title	The potential for trophic transfer of micro-plastics in Thames Estuary food chains
Research Theme	Environmental Pollution
Primary Supervisor	David Morritt
Primary Institution	RHUL
Secondary Supervisor	Paul Clark
Secondary Institution	NHM
CASE Partner	Fishmongers’ Company
CASE Supervisor	Eleanor Adamson
Abstract	Evidence for microplastic ingestion by a range of organisms in the Thames Estuary is increasing (McGoran et al., 2017; McGoran et al., submitted), however, further studies are still required. There is little data for whether ingested microplastics remain only in the individual or if the pollutants, or associated chemicals, are transferred through the food web to accumulate in predator species. This project will examine species from different trophic levels, such as shrimp, fish and seals, and organisms with different feeding types, such as predators, scavengers and filter feeders, from the Thames Estuary to identify the exposure routes of plastic ingestion. Such a study might provide evidence for the transfer of microplastics through feeding activity. In addition to this, the project will look at temporal changes in plastic, both seasonally and historically, by collecting from sediment core samples from Thames salt marshes
Policy Impact
Background Reading	Plastic in the Thames: a river runs through it Presence of microplastic in the digestive tracts of European flounder, Platichthys flesus, and European smelt, Osmerus eperlanus, from the River Thames Ingestion of plastic by fish: A comparison of Thames Estuary and Firth of Clyde populations
Grants and awards	Fishmongers’ Company’s Charitable Trust Small Grant Scheme – Fishmongers’ Company’s Charitable trust –
Publications	McGoran A.R., Clark P.F., Smith B.D., Morritt D. (2020) High prevalence of plastic ingestion by Eriocheir sinensis and Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in the Thames Estuary Environmental Pollution DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114972 McGoran AR (2020) Oceans of plastic McGoran AR (2020) Adventures in the field McGoran AR (2019) Microplastic pollution and wet wipe ‘reefs’ are changing the River Thames ecosystem Alexandra R. McGoran, James S. Maclaine, Paul F. Clark and David Morritt () Synthetic and semi-synthetic fibre ingestion by mesopelagic fishes from Tristan da Cuhna and St Helena, South Atlantic (submitted) Frontiers in Marine Science DOI: https://doi.org/
Datasets	High prevalence of plastic ingestion by Eriocheir sinensis and Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in the Thames Estuary Excel. Contributors: McGoran AR, Clark PF, Smith BD, Morrit DSynthetic and semi-synthetic fibre ingestion by mesopelagic fishes from Tristan da Cuhna and St Helena, South Atlantic Excel. Contributors: McGoran A.R., Maclaine J.S., Clark P.F., Mottitt D.
News & Blogs	Pieces of plastic found in a third of Thames fish, The Times More than a quarter of fish in the Thames Estuary are eating plastic, NHM Blog Searching for plastic in the belly of a seal, NHM Blog Microplastic pollution and wet wipe ‘reefs’ are changing the River Thames ecosystem, The Conversation Thames Estuary seal’s post-mortem exam tracks microplastics, BBC News After Life, BBC Wildlife Magazine Plastic producers urged to take responsibility for “nurdle” pollution, New Scientist European Researchers’ Night, London Live BBC News London at 18:30 21.0.2020, BBC News London BBC News South East at 18:30 21.07.2020, BBC News BBC Radio Surrey 17:40 21.07.2020, BBC Radio Surrey talk Radio 20:05 21.02.2020, Talk radio River Thames severely polluted with microplastics, BBC News River Thames severely polluted with microplastics, Evening Standard How plastic is polluting your body, Daily Mail

Activities

Conferences and Workshops	MASTS Annual Meeting (October 2018). Talk: Plastic Ingestion by Fish: A Comparison of the Thames and the Clyde.: https://www.masts.ac.uk/media/36592/mpml-session-abstracts.pdf Dynamic Earth: The Joint DTP Conference 2019 (September 2019). Talk: Plastic in the Thames Foodweb. A Changing Planet: The Joint DTP Conference 2018 (September 2018). Talk: Plastic Ingestion by fish: a comparison of the Thames and the Clyde. Micro2018 (November 2018). Talk: Plastic ingestion by fish: A comparison of the Thames and the Clyde. MPs, aquaculture and fisheries workshop by ARCH UK at Fishmongers’ Hall (March 2019). Talk: Plastic ingestion by fish: a comparison of the Thames and the Clyde. Linnean Society Student Conference (February 2019). Talk: Plastic ingestion by fish: A comparison of the Thames and the Clyde. NHM Student Conference (March 2019). Talk: Plastic Ingestion by Fish: A Comparison of the Thames and the Clyde. SETAC Europe (May 2018). Poster: Plastic ingestion by Fish. SETAC Europe (May 2018). Speed Talk: Plastic Ingestion by Fish. RHUL BioSci PostGrad Symposium. Talk: Litter in the Thames: a story of plastic, fish and seals?. NHM Student Conference 2020. Talk: What’s on the menu: Plastic ingestion by Thames crabs. RHUL Virtual Doctoral School Conference 2020. Poster: Are crabs in the River Thames eating microplastics?.: https://naturalhistorymuseum-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/a_mcgoran_nhm_ac_uk/ETHy29HQJwtMv49a7E4XRMQBCuQxzhlIpTN13P445CKWUw?e=v9AR4n. Micro2020 (November 2020). Talk: High prevalence of plastic ingestion by Eriocheir sinensis and Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) in the Thames Estuary. Royal Holloway Postgraduate Symposium (March 2021). Talk: Evaluating microplastic contamination in the Thames Estuary food web: plastic ingestion by Thames crabs.. 7IMDC (September 2022). Talk: Microplastic transfer in food webs: a case study in the Thames Estuary. 7IMDC (September 2022). Poster: Current and future effects of microplastics on marine ecosystems: the Minimise Project.
Training courses	Science Communication – NHM Late NERC, hosted by NHM. Science Communication to a TV Audience / Writers, hosted by Kings College London. July 2019 Communicating with the media, hosted by Lefevre Media. March 2021
Engagement	European Researchers Night 2018 ERN 2019 NHM Lates – Copycats NHM Lates NERC New Scientist Live 2019 The Great Exhibition Road Festival 2019 NHM Patrons Open House Scientific advisor – Wombles NHM Nature Live – Plastic in the Thames RHUL – Business Cards Solutions to Plastic pollution Nature live Online – Plastics in the Thames Online NHM Nature Live Online NHM Nature Live WWF Young Changemakers Convention NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards 2020 Linnean Society – Linnean Learning interview for Instagram Talk of the Thames – TEP Podcast Global Science Show – SciArt event Port of London Authority Environment Webinar Livery Schools Link Careers Day – Fishmongers Company Our Broken Planet: How we got here and ways to fix is – Natural History Museum Display
DTP Activities	Member of the Joint DTP Summer Conference Organising Committee 2019

Social Links

University Departmental Website:
Personal Website:	https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9-bv1EJjR6SScR6jHzIonA
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Twitter:	@AlexMcGoran
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ORCID:	0000-0003-2693-7646