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Burrowing invertebrates induce fragmentation of mariculture Styrofoam floats and formation of microplastics
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Researchers found that burrowing invertebrates on Styrofoam floats used in Chinese mariculture operations physically fragment the foam into microplastics through their burrowing activity, demonstrating that biological fragmentation by marine invertebrates is an important and previously underappreciated pathway for generating Styrofoam-derived microplastics.
Secondary microplastics originate from the fragmentation of large plastics, and weathering is supposed to be the main cause of fragmentation. In this study, we investigated burrows and burrowing invertebrates on Styrofoam floats from the mariculture areas of China's coastal waters. Various burrows were found on the submerged surface of Styrofoam floats and could be divided into 'I', 'S', 'J', and 'Y' types based on the burrow entrance number and passage curvature. Different invertebrate species, including 5 isopods, 8 clamworms, and 12 crabs, were found inside the burrows. Micro-foams were found in the bodies of these burrowers, with an average abundance of 4.2 ± 0.3 (isopod), 6.9 ± 2.0 (clamworm), and 3.0 ± 0.5 (crab) micro-foams per individual. In the laboratory, we observed the boring process of crabs in abandoned floats. Field and laboratory evidence suggested that these invertebrates bored various burrows. The total volume of crab burrows on a 3-year-used float was estimated to be 2.6 × 10 cm, producing 4.1 × 10 microplastics. This study highlights the critical role of bioerosion in destroying man-made substrates and prompting microplastic pollution.
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Soil Invertebrates Generate Microplastics From Polystyrene Foam Debris
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Researchers demonstrated that four common soil invertebrates—crickets, isopods, beetle larvae, and snails—can physically fragment polystyrene foam into microplastics, revealing that soil organisms actively contribute to microplastic generation rather than just being affected by it.
Colonization and Expansion of Burrowing Isopod Sphaeroma on Styrofoam Floats as New Habitats in Mariculture
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Scientists found that tiny burrowing crustaceans called Sphaeroma actually thrive on Styrofoam floats used in seafood farming—colonizing new foam within a month and multiplying even faster than on their natural mangrove homes. As these creatures burrow into the foam, they help break it down into smaller plastic fragments, which can eventually make their way into the water, the seafood we eat, and ultimately our own bodies. This research highlights how plastic pollution in our oceans isn't just an environmental issue—it's creating new habitats that may accelerate the breakdown of plastics into the microplastics increasingly found
Formation of microplastics by polychaetes (Marphysa sanguinea) inhabiting expanded polystyrene marine debris
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Researchers found that polychaete worms (Marphysa sanguinea) inhabiting expanded polystyrene marine debris actively fragment the material, with lab experiments showing a single individual can produce hundreds of thousands of EPS microplastic particles per year. The study reveals marine invertebrates as a previously underappreciated biological driver of microplastic generation from larger plastic debris.
Fragmentation of expanded polystyrene to microplastics by wharf roach Ligia spp.
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Researchers discovered that wharf roaches, common coastal crustaceans found throughout the Pacific region, actively graze on expanded polystyrene and fragment it into microplastics as small as 2 micrometers. In field surveys along Japanese coastlines, these animals were found to ingest polystyrene more frequently than other types of plastic. The study reveals a previously unrecognized biological pathway by which large plastic debris gets broken down into microplastics in coastal environments.
Boring crustaceans damage polystyrene floats under docks polluting marine waters with microplastic
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Boring isopod crustaceans were found to be a significant but previously overlooked source of microplastic pollution — when they burrow into polystyrene dock floats, they expel large numbers of plastic particles into the water. A single isopod can generate thousands of microplastic particles, and infestations at aquaculture facilities and docks across multiple continents were documented.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.