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The biological plastic pump: Evidence from a local case study using blue mussel and infaunal benthic communities
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This study provides experimental evidence that blue mussels accelerate the sinking of microplastics from surface water to the seafloor by aggregating them in their fecal pellets. This biological process — called the biological plastic pump — may explain why seafloor sediments often contain high microplastic concentrations despite lower levels in surface water above.
The distinct spatial variability in microplastic concentrations between marine regions and habitats calls for a better understanding about the transport pathways of this omnipresent pollutant in the marine environment. This study provides empirical evidence that a sessile filter feeder, the Blue mussel M. edulis, accelerates microplastic deposition by aggregating them into sinking particulate faeces and pseudofaeces. After settling to the seafloor, the bioturbation of benthic fauna quickly buries these microplastics. Collectively, these results suggest that if such biologically-mediated benthic-pelagic coupling would be integrated into hydrodynamic transport models, the spatial variability and source-sink dynamics of microplastics would be better understood. It is proposed that microplastic pollution is monitored through sampling that takes into account faeces and pseudofaeces underneath filter feeders. The implications of this detrital pathway for microplastic transfer to the seafloor, and the role of shellfish mariculture in this process, are discussed. Studies that consider filter feeders and benthic communities from other regions, and during different seasons, are needed to validate the proposed biological pump mechanism across space and time.
More Papers Like This
Mussels facilitate the sinking of microplastics to bottom sediments and their subsequent uptake by detritus-feeders
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This laboratory study found that filter-feeding mussels accelerate the sinking of microplastics from the water surface to the seafloor through their fecal pellets, and that these microplastic-containing pellets are subsequently ingested by bottom-feeding polychaete worms. This two-step biological transfer explains how microplastics from surface waters reach and accumulate in benthic organisms and sediments.
Microplastic changes the sinking and resuspension rates of marine mussel biodeposits
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Researchers found that microplastic exposure altered the sinking rates and resuspension velocities of mussel biodeposits, demonstrating that microplastics can disrupt benthic-pelagic coupling by changing the physical properties of marine mussel fecal pellets and pseudofeces.
Rapid aggregation of biofilm-covered microplastics with marine biogenic particles
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Researchers demonstrated that biofilm-covered microplastics rapidly aggregate with marine biogenic particles such as algal cells and fecal pellets, which accelerates their sinking from surface waters. The study helps explain why microplastic concentrations at the ocean surface are lower than expected — biofouling causes the particles to be transported to deeper waters and sediments faster than previously assumed.
Quantification of the vertical transport of microplastics by biodeposition of typical mariculture filter-feeding organisms
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This study quantified the vertical transport of microplastics by mariculture filter feeders (oysters and mussels) through biodeposition of feces and pseudofeces, finding that bivalve biodeposition is a meaningful biological pump driving microplastics from surface water to the seafloor.
Microplastic interaction with marine biological systems
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This study examined how filter-feeding marine organisms interact with microplastics, focusing on how ingested particles move through digestive systems and are packaged into feces. Microplastics ingested by filter feeders can be incorporated into fecal pellets that sink rapidly, potentially transporting plastic from surface waters to the seafloor. These biologically mediated sinking processes may significantly accelerate the transfer of microplastics from the ocean surface to benthic environments.
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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.