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Fauna – Microplastics interactions: Empirical insights from benthos community exposure to marine plastic waste

Marine Environmental Research 2024 7 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Gabriella Pantó, Carl Van Colen, Gabriella Pantó, Gabriella Pantó, Gabriella Pantó, Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Paula Aguilera Dal Grande, Paula Aguilera Dal Grande, Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Ann Vanreusel Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Paula Aguilera Dal Grande, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Carl Van Colen, Gabriella Pantó, Carl Van Colen, Ann Vanreusel

Summary

Researchers tested how microplastics interact with bottom-dwelling marine communities in a controlled experiment using environmental concentrations of polyethylene fragments. They found that the plastic particles increased mortality in a common bivalve species after 30 days of exposure, while tube-dwelling worms were less affected. Interestingly, the burrowing activity of these animals quickly buried surface microplastics into deeper sediment layers, effectively trapping them but also exposing deep-dwelling organisms.

Polymers

Study Type Environmental

Microplastic deposition in soft marine sediments raises concerns on their role in sediment habitats and unknown effects on resident macrobenthic communities. To assess the reciprocal influence that MPs and macrobenthos might have on each other, we performed a mesocosm experiment with ambient concentrations of environmental Polyethylene (PE) and a non-manipulated, natural macrobenthic community from the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS). Our results show that PE fragments increase mortality of abundant bivalves (specifically Abra alba) after 30 days of exposure but not for the most abundant polychaete Owenia fusiformis, possibly due to its predominant suspension feeding behavior. Fast burial of surface MPs exposes deep-dwelling burrowers to the pollutant, however reducing the amount of MPs interacting with (sub) surface living fauna. We conclude that macrobenthos promotes the sequestration of deposited MPs, counteracting resuspension, and can have cascading effects on biodiversity due to their effect on abundant and functionally important species.

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