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Microplastic ingestion in Pelagia noctiluca
Summary
This study documented microplastic ingestion in jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) in the Mediterranean Sea, adding these gelatinous organisms to the growing list of marine species confirmed to consume plastic. Jellyfish are widely distributed and consumed by sea turtles and tuna, raising concerns about trophic transfer of microplastics up food chains.
Microplastic ingestion in Pelagia noctilucaMarine plastic pollution is becoming a problem of growing concern to the scientific community, environmental policy makers and society.So much so that our age is referred to as the "Plastic Age".Microplastics in particular represent a serious problem because, due to their size, they can be ingested by marine organisms and pass through food webs.In addition to the damage that ingestion cause, microplastics adsorb chemical contaminants that can be endocrine disrupters, and the effect they can have on the health of organisms is unknown.The ingestion of microplastics has been documented in numerous species of marine mammals and birds, fish, molluscs, crustaceans and corals, among others.This work is the first study that evidences the ingestion of plastics and microplastics in Pelagia noctiluca.