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First attempt to quantify microplastics in Mediterranean Sabellaria spinulosa (Annelida, Polychaeta) bioconstructions
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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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Microplastic pollution in the littoral environment: insights from the largest Mediterranean Sabellaria spinulosa (Annelida) reef and shoreface sediments
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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in and around a rare Mediterranean bioconstruction reef — the largest Sabellaria spinulosa polychaete reef in the Mediterranean — along the southern Adriatic coast of Italy. The western side of the site had significantly higher microplastic levels, driven by coastal currents rather than the reef-building activity itself, with PET fibers as the dominant type. The findings reveal that polychaete reefs act as temporary microplastic traps, accumulating contamination in ways that could harm these fragile and ecologically important benthic habitats.
Microplastic quantification in Sabellaria reefs: a validated protocol for extraction from biogenic agglutinated matrices
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Scientists developed a new method to accurately measure tiny plastic particles trapped in underwater reefs built by marine worms. These reef structures act like filters that collect microplastics from ocean water, which can then enter the food chain when other sea creatures eat organisms living on the reefs. This improved testing method will help researchers better track plastic pollution in coastal waters and understand how it might affect seafood that people eat.
Dataset: Agglutinated Sabellaria reefs as natural traps for anthropogenic pollution: first non-destructive 3D detection of embedded microplastics
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This record is a dataset, not a research study. It contains 3D scans, tube measurements, and summary files from reef fragments built by sand-tube-forming worms, used to study how microplastic particles become trapped within the structures, including dosing data on added plastic particles.
Quantitative evaluation of microplastics in colonies of Phragmatopoma caudata Krøyer in Mörch, 1863 (Polychaeta-Sabellariidae): Analysis in sandcastles and tissues and identification via Raman spectroscopy
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Researchers found microplastics embedded in the sand tubes and body tissues of Phragmatopoma caudata, a tube-building marine worm that constructs its home from sand grains. This study shows that filter-feeding and sediment-associated organisms incorporate microplastics into their structures, spreading plastic contamination through marine ecosystems.
When shelter is not a refuge: Reporting microplastic abundance in European (France) Sabellaria alveolata reef ecosystems
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Researchers measured microplastic contamination in Sabellaria alveolata biogenic reefs and adjacent sediments at two French Atlantic coast sites, finding fiber-dominated accumulation of 0.81–1.73 items per gram, with reef structure and local hydrodynamics determining whether MPs concentrate preferentially within the reef or distribute uniformly with surrounding sediments.
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