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Effects of Polyester Microfibers on Microphytobenthos and Sediment-Dwelling Infauna
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Researchers examined the effects of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microfibers on microphytobenthos, a deposit-feeding bivalve (Macomona liliana), and sediment nutrient cycling across six concentration levels in controlled sediment chambers. The study found that PET microfibers disrupted benthic community structure and altered sediment nutrient fluxes at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Microfibers often dominate sediment microplastic samples, but little is known about their ecological effects on benthic organisms and functions. Polyethylene terephthalate) (PET) microfibers were added to 36 sediment chambers at six concentrations (0-0.5 g kg-1 sediment) to assess the effects on microphytobenthos (MPB), a key deposit-feeding bivalve, Macomona liliana, and sediment nutrient pools. MPB photosynthesis was promoted in 18 chambers through a 12 h light/dark cycle. Another 18 chambers were maintained under dark conditions to inhibit photosynthesis. After 35 days of MPB growth and stabilization, four M. liliana were added to each chamber for a further 40 days. MPB biomass and composition were examined alongside M. liliana biochemical and behavioral properties and porewater dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations. Increasing microfibers resulted in lower MPB biomass, fewer diatom-associated fatty acids (FAs), and an increase in cyanobacteria. The changes in MPB coincided with up to 75% lower energy reserves and reduced burrowing activity in M. liliana. In the light, nitrate + nitrate (NOx) was significantly elevated and related to M. liliana and MPB biochemical properties. Ammoniu (NH4+) concentrations increased but were variable in both the light and the dark. Our results suggest that increasing microfiber concentrations influence the interactions between M. liliana and MPB and affect biogeochemical processing in coastal marine sediments.
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Researchers found that PET microplastics disrupted key ecosystem functions in marine sediments over a 31-day experiment, impairing nutrient cycling and the activity of bivalves and microphytobenthos. The results suggest that even moderate concentrations of microplastics can harm the ecological services provided by seafloor communities.
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Researchers found that increasing polypropylene microplastic concentrations impaired deep-burrowing behaviour of the marine worm Macroclymenella stewartensis but not the bivalve Macomona liliana, with microplastics also modifying interspecific relationships and thereby disrupting particle mixing and nutrient cycling processes in marine sediments.
The project MICROBEEF: MICROplastic effects on marine BEnthic Ecosystems Functioning. Preliminary results and call for network.
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Researchers launched the MICROBEEF project to investigate the effects of environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations — including both fragments and microfibers — on marine benthic ecosystem functioning through manipulative experiments on marine sediments. Preliminary results and collaboration opportunities from this study were presented, aiming to fill knowledge gaps about how accumulated microplastics interact with and impair benthic biological processes.
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