An integrative analysis of microplastics in spider webs and road dust in an urban environment–webbed routes and asphalt Trails

Microplastics (MPs), typically characterised as plastic fragments smaller than 5 mm (Barnes et al., 2009) or particles between 1 and 1000 μm (Hartmann et al., 2019), have been identified as an environmental concern due to their pervasive presence in many ecosystems around the globe (Andrady, 2011). Initially discovered in marine environments, subsequent research has elucidated their occurrence in multiple settings, such as freshwater bodies (Mintenig et al., 2020), terrestrial ecosystems (Büks and Kaupenjohann, 2020), and the atmosphere (Allen et al., 2021; Dris et al., 2017; Song et al., 2021). Studies have demonstrated that MPs can act as vectors for pollutants due to their sorption capacity (Pham et al., 2022; Torres et al., 2021) and have the potential to affect the fauna, for example by ingestion (Barnes et al., 2009). They are known to permeate through the food chain, causing detrimental ecological and potentially human health impacts (Browne et al., 2011). MPs' persistence and bioaccumulative nature have stimulated extensive research to understand their sources, fates, impacts, and solutions.