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Microplastic accumulation by tube-dwelling, suspension feeding polychaetes from the sediment surface: A case study from the Norwegian Continental Shelf
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This study found microplastics in the sediment and tube-dwelling polychaete worms on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, including in areas near oil and gas installations and in remote locations. Even offshore industrial areas in the Arctic Ocean contain microplastics in their sediments, with polychaetes actively incorporating these particles through filter feeding.
Sediment samples (0-1 cm) and tube-dwelling polychaetes from the Norwegian Continental Shelf and the Barents Sea were collected, including areas close to oil and gas installations and remote locations. Microplastics (≥45 μm) were found in quantifiable levels in 27 of 35 sediment samples, from 0.039 to 3.4 particles/gdw (dw = dry weight); and in 9 of 10 pooled polychaete samples, from 11 to 880 particles/gww (ww = wet weight). Concentrations were significantly higher in tube-dwelling polychaetes than sediments from the same locations (p<0.0097) by orders of magnitude. To quantify this factor increase in polychaetes, a Biota-Sediment Particle Enrichment Factor (BSPEF) is introduced, which ranged from 100 to 11000 gdw/gww (280-31000 gdw/gdw). Higher microplastic levels were observed in polychaete tube than in soft tissue (n=4). The feeding behavior and life cycle of tube-dwelling polychaetes could have an important influence on the transport, distribution and food-chain dynamics of microplastics on the seafloor.
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