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First attempt to quantify microplastics in Mediterranean Sabellaria spinulosa (Annelida, Polychaeta) bioconstructions
Summary
Researchers found microplastics concentrated within the reef-like structures built by the tube worm Sabellaria spinulosa along the Italian Adriatic coast, with higher abundance and different particle shapes inside the bioconstruction than in the surrounding seafloor sediment. This suggests that the physical architecture of biogenic reefs can act as a trap for microplastic pollution, with potential consequences for the organisms living in and around these coastal habitats.
This work focuses on the arenaceous reefs by the polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa and addresses microplastics pollution. The main aim is to assess microplastics amount in a bioconstruction located in the Adriatic coast of Italy (Mediterranean Sea) through a comparative approach: sea-floor sediment and bioconstruction samples were analysed to quantify microplastics absolute abundance in both substrates. A total of 431 MPs were found in the investigated substrates: respectively 85 % fibers and 15 % fragments. Multivariate analysis indicates that MPs within bioconstruction occur in higher abundances and with different morphologies than in sediment samples. The analysis of bioconstruction polished sections allowed for observation of MPs agglutinated in their original position: higher concentration is reported in inter-tube areas. Results suggest that physical characteristics of MPs could play a key-role in bioconstruction inclusion processes and raise questions on effective role of sabellariid bioconstructions as a trap for this pollutant in the littoral environment.
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