We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Cheilostome Bryozoa from Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists surveyed tiny marine animals called bryozoans around two Malaysian islands and found 23 species, some never described there before. Notably, they found these organisms growing on floating plastic debris and glass bottles, adding to evidence that ocean plastic pollution helps spread species across the globe, a trend relevant to broader concerns about plastics accumulating in marine environments we depend on.
This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Taylor, Paul D., Tan, Shau-Hwai Aileen (2015): Cheilostome Bryozoa from Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia. European Journal of Taxonomy 149: 1-34, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2015.149 Abstract. Twenty-three species of cheilostome bryozoans are described from the Malaysian islands of Penang and Langkawi based on a brief reconnaisance survey of shore localities. These are the first bryozoans to be formally described from either island and they demonstrate the potential for further research on these neglected suspension feeders. Of the 23 species recorded, 12 are anascans, half of which are malacostegines, and 11 are ascophorans. The new combinations Acanthodesia falsitenuis (Liu, 1992), A. perambulata (Louis & Menon, 2009) and A. irregulata (Liu, 1992) are introduced. Most of the species recorded are widespread in the Indo-Pacific, and some are apparently globally distributed in the tropics and subtropics, including the invasive fouling species Bugula neritina, Hippoporina indica and Schizoporella japonica, as well as the coral reef associates Cranosina coronata and Hippopodina feegeensis. Plastic debris and glass bottles were encrusted by Jellyella eburnea, a coloniser of floating biological and man-made objects that is becoming widespread in the tropics and subtropics of the world’s oceans.
More Papers Like This
Millimeter-Sized Marine Plastics: A New Pelagic Habitat for Microorganisms and Invertebrates
AI summary Read the abstract
Scanning electron microscopy of small floating plastics from around Australia revealed diverse colonizing organisms including bacteria, diatoms, barnacle larvae, and bryozoans — some of which are potential invaders in non-native regions. The study demonstrates that millimeter-scale marine plastics function as long-distance transport rafts for diverse biota.
Early eukaryotic plastisphere in a boreal fjord: Identifying colonization drivers and uncovering novel parasite-diatom co-occurrence.
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists studying ocean plastic found that microbial communities growing on it are shaped mainly by when and where the plastic enters the water, not the type of plastic itself. They also spotted a possible parasite linked to diatoms (tiny algae vital to ocean food chains) living on these plastics, raising questions about how growing plastic pollution might disrupt marine ecosystems that humans rely on for food and oxygen.
Extent and reproduction of coastal species on plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found 37 coastal invertebrate taxa colonizing plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, many reproducing in the open ocean, demonstrating that plastic pollution enables coastal species to establish neopelagic communities far from shore.
Evaluating microplastic pollution across various size classes in tropical remote islands using the ascidian community
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists studied sea creatures called ascidians (small filter-feeding animals) living near remote tropical islands in Indonesia and found they naturally trap tiny plastic particles from the water, including common plastics like PET (used in bottles) and polypropylene (used in packaging). This matters because it shows microplastic pollution has reached even far-flung, seemingly pristine islands, and these creatures could offer a cheap, easy way to monitor plastic contamination in the ocean—plastic that can eventually work its way up the food chain into the seafood we eat.
Plastics in the North Atlantic garbage patch: A boat-microbe for hitchhikers and plastic degraders
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined the microbial communities living on plastic debris in the North Atlantic garbage patch, finding that plastics host unique communities of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes distinct from surrounding seawater. The study highlights that floating plastics act as "microbial islands" that could facilitate the long-distance transport of potentially invasive or pathogenic organisms.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.