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Abstract

Microplastic (MP) pollution in water bodies has been increasing rapidly. This study investigated spatial variation in microplastic abundance and trait composition in two adjacent freshwater aquaculture ponds in Rasht, Iran, to evaluate differences in MP distribution and particle characteristics under similar management conditions. Although the ponds are operated in much the same way and receive water from the same source, their MP patterns were not identical. In total, 158 microplastic particles were recovered and classified according to color, shape, and size. Pond A contained 117 MPs, whereas Pond B contained 41. The composition of MP morphotypes, including fibers, films, fragments, and foam, was similar between the two ponds (P= 0.18), suggesting shared sources or comparable transformation pathways. In contrast, clear differences were observed in MP color composition (χ²= 43.28, P<0.001; Cramér’s V= 0.523). Particle size alone did not differ significantly between ponds (Wilcoxon test, P= 0.297); however, its interaction with pond identity significantly improved the explanation of color variation (Likelihood Ratio test, P< 0.001). Overall, the results demonstrate that adjacent aquaculture ponds receiving comparable external inputs may nevertheless develop distinct microplastic assemblages because of pond-specific ecological processes. These findings emphasize the importance of considering multiple microplastic traits simultaneously rather than relying solely on abundance estimates when assessing microplastic pollution in managed freshwater ecosystems.

Keywords

Microplastics Aquaculture Particle characterization Multinomial logistic model Environmental pollution

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The authors transfer the copyrights of their papers to the Iranian Society of Ichthyology. However, the information could be used in accordance with the Creative Commons licence (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

How to Cite
MOHSENPOUR, R., SATTARI, M., MOUSAVI-SABET, H., & RASTA, M. (2026). Microplastic pollution patterns in aquaculture ponds: A Comparative study from Rasht, Iran. Iranian Journal of Ichthyology, 12(4), 408–425. https://doi.org/10.22034/iji.v12i4.1116
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