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Differential impact of planktonic and periphytic diatoms on aggregation and sinking of microplastics in a simulated marine environment
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Researchers compared how two types of diatoms interact with microplastics in a simulated marine environment. They found that the surface-dwelling diatom Navicula formed aggregates with all tested microplastics within one week, while the free-floating diatom only formed aggregates with polyethylene spheres after nine weeks. The study suggests that different types of marine algae play very different roles in determining how quickly microplastics sink to the ocean floor.
Aggregation between microalgae and microplastics (MPs) significantly influences the MPs distribution in marine environment. We investigated the effects of two diatoms, the planktonic Pseudo-nitzschia pungens and the periphytic Navicula sp., on the formation and sinking of aggregates when they were cultured with four different types of MPs: small and large polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, and low-density and high-density polyethylene (PE) spheres. Navicula sp. formed aggregates with all MPs within one week, but P. pungens only formed aggregates with PE spheres after 9 weeks. The PE-Navicula sp. aggregates settled about 100 times faster than the PE-P. pungens aggregates (12.2 vs. 0.1 mm s), and this difference was most likely due to aggregate shape rather than size. Our findings indicate that the periphytic Navicula sp. had a greater effect on the settling of MPs than the planktonic P. pungens. These findings have implications for understanding the behavior of MPs in marine environments.
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