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First record of microplastic in the environmental matrices of a Mediterranean marine cave (Bue Marino, Sardinia, Italy)
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Researchers documented the first occurrence of microplastics — primarily PVC and polyethylene fragments and fibers — in the water, sediment, and benthic foraminifera of a Mediterranean marine cave in Sardinia, suggesting the particles entered predominantly from the sea rather than from the cave's freshwater system.
This study investigates for the first time the presence of microplastics in sediment, water, and benthic organisms (foraminifera) of a marine cave in the Gulf of Orosei (Sardinia, Italy). Microplastics were found in all water, and sediment samples with similar shapes, sizes, and compositions; identified items were mainly fragments and fibers constituted by PVC and polyethylene. Their provenance was supposed to be predominantly from the sea than from the seasonal freshwater supplies from the karst system. Foraminiferal assemblages were mainly constituted by calcareous hyaline taxa in the outer station, while in the inner ones, the agglutinated Eggerelloides advenus was dominant. FTIR analyses on agglutinated shells identified polyethylene. Microplastic items are collected by the foraminifers and sediment grains building the shell chambers. This is the first study providing evidence that marine caves may be collectors of microplastics and that, in these habitats, microplastics enter the biotic matrix at the protist's level.
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Researchers investigated microplastic pollution across multiple matrices including water, sediment, and biota within Tyrrhenian Sea marine caves, quantifying anthropogenic pressures in this previously unstudied habitat and providing data to inform conservation and protection of these biodiversity hotspot environments.
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Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in Mediterranean marine caves — biodiversity hotspots protected under EU legislation — proposing a standardized methodological approach covering sampling design, extraction, and identification. The study provides the first framework tailored to these structurally complex habitats and demonstrates that microplastic contamination is present even in these protected environments.
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