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Improving ecological function of polluted coasts under a tide of plastic waste
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This paper synthesizes evidence showing that oyster reefs, which naturally filter excess nitrogen from coastal water and prevent harmful algal blooms, are vulnerable to collapse if microplastic pollution continues to rise — with critical pollution thresholds already exceeded in some of the world's most polluted rivers. The work underscores that microplastics don't just harm individual organisms but can disable entire ecosystem services that people depend on for clean coastal water.
Unprecedented levels of plastics are entering coastal seas, which are already subject to another insidious pollutant: excess nitrogen. Both pollutants were created to enhance human well‐being on land but once in the sea they impair the function of filter‐feeding organisms that help maintain coastal water quality. We conceptualized evidence to show that oysters ( Ostrea spp), the reefs of which can provide a biological solution for managing water quality, can effectively reduce the threat of algal blooms caused by excess nitrogen pollution, even when exposed to moderate microplastic pollution. Yet the functional collapse of this ecosystem service (filter‐feeding by oysters) is at risk if current trends in plastic pollution continue, and pollution thresholds that predict functional collapse have already been exceeded in the world's most polluted rivers. Nevertheless, although the plastic problem is daunting, growing social and political awareness of the need to reduce plastic waste provides hope that a sustainable material society can be attained.
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Data for McAfee, Leung, Connell. Improving ecological function of polluted coasts under a tide of plastic pollution. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (FEE21-0330.R1).
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Researchers provided raw experimental data showing that Australian flat oysters can filter microplastics from polluted coastal water, supporting the case for using bivalves as a nature-based tool to improve ecological function on plastic-polluted coasts.
Occurrence of Microplastic Pollution at Oyster Reefs and Other Coastal Sites in the Mississippi Sound, USA: Impacts of Freshwater Inflows from Flooding
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Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in water at oyster reef sites along the Mississippi Gulf Coast during a period of historic flooding that caused prolonged freshwater intrusion. The study found that flooding events increased microplastic concentrations in coastal waters, suggesting that extreme weather and freshwater inflows from rivers can intensify microplastic pollution in estuarine environments where filter-feeding shellfish are especially vulnerable.
Microplastics Affect the Ecological Functioning of an Important Biogenic Habitat
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Researchers tested how microplastics affect the ecological functioning of oyster and mussel habitats in outdoor mesocosms. The study found that both biodegradable and conventional microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations can alter filtration rates and nutrient cycling in these important biogenic habitats, suggesting broader ecosystem-level impacts.
Effects of microplastics on European flat oysters, Ostrea edulis and their associated benthic communities
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Researchers assessed the effects of microplastics on European flat oysters and their associated benthic communities in outdoor mesocosms. The study found that microplastic exposure affected oyster health and biological functioning, and also altered the structure of surrounding macrofaunal assemblages, demonstrating that microplastic pollution can have community-level ecological impacts.
Oyster as sentinels of recent microplastic contamination: Insights from a transplant experiment
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Researchers used oyster transplantation experiments to study how microplastics accumulate and are excreted in sentinel organisms under field-realistic conditions. The study found that bivalves can serve as effective biomonitors of recent microplastic contamination in coastal ecosystems. The findings help fill knowledge gaps about the dynamics of microplastic uptake and clearance in marine filter feeders.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.