We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Vertical transport of marine microplastics mediated by filter-feeding organisms
Summary
Researchers used sediment traps to quantify how filter-feeding organisms — including sea squirts, Pacific oysters, scallops, and Manila clams — contribute to vertical microplastic transport in the water column, finding that MP-laden faeces and pseudofaeces from these organisms act as a biologically mediated pathway for sinking surface MP to the seafloor.
Microplastics, as an increasingly concerning environmental pollutant, transport from the surface waters to the seafloor after entering the ocean and can be buried in deeper sediments through bioturbation. However, the role of marine organisms in this vertical transport remains unclear. In this study, sediment traps were used to quantify the contribution of typical filter-feeding organisms, including sea squirts (Halocynthia roretzi), Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), scallops (Chlamys farreri), and Manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum), to the vertical transport of microplastics in the water column. The results showed that microplastics were present in feces and pseudofeces of filter-feeding organisms and sank to form biodeposits, significantly enhancing the deposition of microplastics
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Quantification of the vertical transport of microplastics by biodeposition of typical mariculture filter-feeding organisms
This study quantified the vertical transport of microplastics by mariculture filter feeders (oysters and mussels) through biodeposition of feces and pseudofeces, finding that bivalve biodeposition is a meaningful biological pump driving microplastics from surface water to the seafloor.
Vertical transfer of microplastics in nearshore water by cultured filter-feeding oysters
Researchers measured how cultured oysters transfer microplastics from surface waters to the seafloor through their natural filter-feeding and waste-depositing behavior. They found that biodeposits from oysters contained 3.5 times more microplastics than natural sediment deposits, with a single oyster depositing an estimated 16 microplastic particles per day, suggesting aquaculture areas may become hotspots for microplastic accumulation on the ocean floor.
Mussels facilitate the sinking of microplastics to bottom sediments and their subsequent uptake by detritus-feeders
This laboratory study found that filter-feeding mussels accelerate the sinking of microplastics from the water surface to the seafloor through their fecal pellets, and that these microplastic-containing pellets are subsequently ingested by bottom-feeding polychaete worms. This two-step biological transfer explains how microplastics from surface waters reach and accumulate in benthic organisms and sediments.
Effects of biological filtration by ascidians on microplastic composition in the water column
The ascidian Styela plicata efficiently filtered 2–5 µm microplastics from the water column, preferentially removing polystyrene over biodegradable PLA particles; the resulting fecal pellets altered the sinking rate of MPs, affecting their vertical transport through the marine food web.
From the surface to the seafloor: How giant larvaceans transport microplastics into the deep sea
Giant larvaceans — abundant gelatinous zooplankton — were shown in direct ocean observations to capture microplastics of all sizes in their mucus feeding structures and then package them into dense sinking fecal pellets. This biological pump mechanism could be a significant pathway for transporting microplastics from the surface ocean to the deep seafloor.