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Microplastics associated with stranded macroalgae on an impacted estuarine beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Summary
Researchers examined microplastics trapped in seaweed washed up on a beach in Brazil's heavily polluted Guanabara Bay. Red algae captured significantly more microplastic particles than green algae, likely due to their more complex branching structure. The microplastic levels found in these algae were higher than those reported in studies from other locations, suggesting that nutrient-rich, polluted waters increase the amount of plastic debris that accumulates on marine plants.
Microplastics (MPs) are contaminants widely distributed in marine ecosystems. Only few studies approached MP interactions with marine plants, which are considered potential traps for MPs. Here, we determined MPs' densities and types associated with stranded macroalgae on a eutrophic beach in Guanabara Bay. Our results showed that red algae exhibited higher MP densities (1.48 MPs g), possibly due to their more branched thalli, than green algae (0.27 MPs g). The predominant MP types were blue and white fragments <3 mm in size and polymers were classified as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride in fragments, and polypropylene in fibers. The higher densities of MPs in algae seemed to be influenced by the inner bay waters. The densities of MPs associated with algae from Guanabara Bay surpassed those reported in other studies. High MPs densities increase the chances that organisms associated with algae entangle or ingest MPs, impacting their health and survival.
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