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Reefs of Brachidontes exustus and Petaloconchus spp. as traps and sink for microplastics in tropical coastal areas
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Reefs of Brachidontes exustus and Petaloconchus spp. as traps and sink for microplastics in tropical coastal areas
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Researchers quantified and chemically characterized microplastics in Brachidontes exustus and Petaloconchus spp. biogenic reefs on the tropical coast of northeastern Brazil, sampling in dry and rainy seasons. Transparent PS/PP/PA/polyester fibers dominated and were more abundant in Brachidontes reefs during the rainy season, showing that these reefs act as traps and sinks for MP pollution.
Microplastic ingestion by scleractinian corals
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Researchers documented for the first time that scleractinian corals on Australia's Great Barrier Reef actively ingest microplastics from surrounding water, raising serious concerns that plastic pollution could impair the feeding and health of reef-building corals already stressed by warming oceans.
Vertical distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve, China
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Sediment cores from a protected coral reef nature reserve in China's Leizhou Peninsula showed microplastics distributed throughout all depths down to 30 cm, averaging 119 particles/kg and dominated by polyethylene and polypropylene fibers. The penetration of microplastics into deep sediment layers indicates long-term persistence in the marine environment and poses chronic exposure risks to benthic organisms in sensitive reef ecosystems.
Microplastics in the Ocean and their Consequences: Coral Reef Case Study
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Microplastic ingestion by fish from beaches with different characteristics in a tropical bay
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Researchers studying fish in a tropical bay found that 1 in 5 fish had microplastics in their stomachs, and this happened across all species, sizes, and locations, including areas far from big cities. Even fish-eating predators (which many humans also eat) showed contamination, suggesting plastic pollution is now baked into the food web from top to bottom. Since some of these fish end up on dinner plates, this study is a reminder that microplastic exposure through seafood may be more widespread than we think, and more research is needed to understand what that means for our health.
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