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Microplastic entrapment in Posidonia oceanica egagropiles: Spatial patterns from the Costa Blanca (Western Mediterranean, Spain)
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Scientists found that nearly 90% of natural fiber balls washed up on Mediterranean beaches contained microplastics, mostly tiny fibers from textiles and fishing gear. Surprisingly, "natural" protected beaches had more microplastics than urban ones. This matters because these seagrass ecosystems trap plastic pollution that could otherwise enter the food chain we rely on for seafood.
Seagrass meadows are recognized as effective sinks for marine microplastics (MPs), yet spatially explicit evidence integrating environmental drivers remains limited. This study provides the first coast-wide assessment of MPs embedded in Posidonia oceanica egagropiles (EGs) along the Costa Blanca, Western Mediterranean, Spain. EGs morphology showed strong hydrodynamic control, with high-energy sites producing significantly smaller EGs (38.84 ± 0.73 mm) than medium (56.95 ± 0.81 mm) or low-energy environments (46.89 ± 0.71 mm). Nearly 90% of EGs contained MPs, with abundances spanning more than an order of magnitude (33.70 to 1,538.52 items kg –1 dw). MPs were dominated by tangled fibers (75.94%), followed by fragments (15.79%), films (4.51%), and straight fibers (3.76%). White was the most frequent color (55.64%). Natural and environmentally protected beaches exhibited significantly higher MP loads (395.49 ± 41.38 items kg –1 dw) than urban beaches (140.57 ± 6.96 items kg –1 dw). Polymer composition was dominated by polyethylene terephthalate (PET, 53.38%), followed by modified cellulose (CEL, 24.06%) and smaller shares of agglomerate (AG, 9.02%), nylon (NYL, 4.51%), polyester (PES, 3.01%), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA, 2.26%), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polystyrene (PS) (1.50% each), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 0.75%). Fishing activity strongly influenced MP patterns, with high-intensity fishing areas showing higher MPs abundance (702.14 ± 79.70 items kg –1 dw) and a predominance of polymers characteristic of fishing gear (NYL, LDPE, PES) and vessel materials (PV). FESEM imaging revealed site-specific fiber degradation patterns that aligned with MPs loads and EGs sizes, confirming hydrodynamics and meadow condition as primary controls on MPs retention.
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Researchers evaluated microplastic contamination trapped in aegagropiles, the fibrous marine balls formed by Posidonia oceanica seagrass, along Tunisian coastal areas in the southern Mediterranean. The study found that these natural structures effectively trap microplastic particles from beach environments, providing both a useful indicator of local microplastic pollution levels and a natural mechanism for capturing plastic debris.
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Posidonia seagrass spheroids — natural balls of fibrous seagrass debris that wash up on Mediterranean beaches — trap significant quantities of plastic litter, averaging 2.5 items per spheroid including fibers and fragments as small as 0.1 mm. The study recommends that beach clean-up programs specifically target and remove all spheroids to prevent them from disintegrating and releasing their trapped plastic back into the sea.
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This Tunisian study used the seagrass Posidonia oceanica as a natural microplastic trap in the Gulf of Gabes, finding pellets, threads, and fragments of polyethylene, polystyrene, and phthalate plasticizers accumulated in the leaves. Seagrass meadows appear to function as significant sinks for microplastics, both trapping them at the surface and potentially burying them in sediments through leaf fall. This matters because P. oceanica meadows are important coastal ecosystems, and their contamination with microplastics and plasticizers threatens the organisms that depend on them.
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