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Plastic in the inferno: Microplastic contamination in deep-sea cephalopods (Vampyroteuthis infernalis and Abralia veranyi) from the southwestern Atlantic
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Microplastics were detected in two deep-sea cephalopod species from the southwestern Atlantic -- the vampire squid and midwater squid -- demonstrating that microplastic contamination extends into deep-water ecosystems and affects organisms across different depth ranges and feeding strategies.
Microplastics are a relevant environmental concern in marine ecosystems due to their ubiquity. However, knowledge on their dispersion patterns within the ocean basin and the interaction with biota are scarce and mostly limited to surface waters. This study investigated microplastic contamination in two species of deep-sea cephalopods from the southwestern Atlantic with different ecological behaviour: the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) and the midwater squid (Abralia veranyi). Microplastic contaminated most of the evaluated specimens. V. infernalis showed higher levels of contamination (9.58 ± 8.25 particles individual; p < 0.05) than A. veranyi (2.37 ± 2.13 part. ind.), likely due to the feeding strategy of V. infernalis as a faecal pellets feeder. The size of extracted microplastics was inversely proportional to the depth of foraging. The microplastics were highly heterogeneous in composition (shape, colour and polymer type). Our results provide information regarding microplastic interaction with deep-sea organisms and evidence of the biological influence in the microplastic sinking mechanism.
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Microplastics were detected in deep-sea invertebrates from multiple ocean basins, confirming that plastic contamination has penetrated to organisms living in the darkest, most remote zones of the ocean. This finding raises concerns about the ecological and food-web implications of deep-sea microplastic exposure.
Supplementary material from "Microplastics and synthetic particles ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine ecosystems on the Earth"
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This supplementary material accompanies a landmark study finding that microplastics were ingested by amphipods in six of the deepest ocean trenches on Earth, at depths from 7,000 to nearly 11,000 meters. The finding that over 72% of deep-sea amphipods contained at least one microparticle demonstrates that plastic contamination has penetrated even the most remote deep-ocean ecosystems.
Consistent microplastic ingestion by deep-sea invertebrates over the last four decades (1976–2015), a study from the North East Atlantic
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A long-term study spanning nearly four decades (1976-2015) found consistent microplastic ingestion in two deep-sea invertebrate species from the Northeast Atlantic, demonstrating that deep-sea organisms have been exposed to plastic pollution since at least the late 1970s. The results highlight that microplastic contamination has long penetrated even remote and poorly monitored deep-sea habitats.
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