Microplastics affecting the Xingu River ecosystem in Brazil. Study of their occurrence in stingrays, sources, and potential solutions

Microplastics (MPs) are now widely distributed in the environment, reaching even the remotest areas of the oceans, and infiltrating food webs worldwide. Although some plastic debris is dumped directly into marine waters, rivers accumulate discarded material throughout their watersheds and transport it to the oceans. The objective of this study was to assess MPs contamination of the Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon River flowing in a remote region (State of Pará), by extracting and characterizing MPs found inside the stomachs of P. Leopoldi samples, a species of benthic predator that inhabits these waters.