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Microplastic ingestion and its effects οn sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus: A field study in a coastal East Mediterranean environment
Summary
Researchers collected wild sea urchins from three coastal sites in the Ionian Sea with different levels of human activity and examined them for microplastic ingestion and biological stress markers. They found microplastics in sea urchins at all sites, with patterns matching sediment contamination, but most biomarkers showed no significant stress response. The exception was increased detoxification enzyme activity, suggesting the animals may be mounting a subtle biological response to ingested microplastics.
Microplastics (MPs) are recognized as an increasing threat to the marine environment, but little is known about their effects on benthic organisms, including sea urchins, when ingested. For this purpose, wild sea urchins (P. lividus) and seafloor sediment samples were investigated across three coastal areas of Zakynthos Island (Ionian Sea), each exposed to different anthropogenic pressures, revealing a consistent pattern in MP abundance, shape, and color. Biomarkers related to oxidative stress, neurotoxicity, and genotoxicity showed no significant effects of MP ingestion in the sea urchins, except for a positive correlation between GST activity and ingested MPs, suggesting a possible activation of their detoxification system in response to MP ingestion. While MP concentrations in sea urchins and sediments were within the low range reported in the global literature, it remains crucial to conduct further investigations in areas with MP pollution approaching predicted levels to fully comprehend the potential effects of MP pollution on marine organisms.