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Detection of plastic-associated compounds in marine sponges.
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Researchers developed a method to detect plastic-associated chemicals including phthalates and bisphenol-A in marine sponge tissue and applied it to samples from a Florida Keys reef. All sponge samples contained quantifiable levels of the phthalate DEHP, providing a preliminary assessment of how plastic pollution affects filter-feeding sponges.
Plastic waste is a ubiquitous form of marine pollution and recent studies have identified threats of plastic debris and the associated chemical compounds to wildlife. Sponges pump substantial quantities of water and are important in benthic-pelagic coupling, making them susceptible to interacting with such pollutants in the water column. Here, a method to detect common plastic-associated compounds including phthalates, a phthalate metabolite, bisphenol-A, and a brominated flame retardant in sponge tissue was developed. The method was applied to samples of Xestospongia muta and Niphates digitalis from a reef in the Florida Keys. All sponge samples had quantifiable levels of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, with trace levels of the associated metabolite detected in some N. digitalis samples. There was no quantifiable detection of bisphenol-A, or the brominated flame retardant. This work is a preliminary assessment of the relationship between plastic marine debris and marine sponges.
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Sponges as bioindicators for microparticulate pollutants?
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This study investigated whether sponges can serve as bioindicators of microparticle pollution in coral reef environments, finding that sponges incorporate foreign particles including microplastics from the surrounding water. Sponges could be useful sentinel organisms for monitoring microplastic contamination in reef ecosystems given their extensive filter feeding.
Characteristics of Microplastic in Selected Marine Sponges from Pasir Putih Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia
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Microplastics were characterized in marine sponges collected from a specific ocean region, finding plastic particles of diverse polymer types embedded in sponge tissue. Marine sponges, as filter feeders, accumulate microplastics from surrounding water and may serve as useful bioindicators of ocean plastic contamination.
Plastics in Porifera: The occurrence of potential microplastics in marine sponges and seawater from Bocas del Toro, Panamá
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Researchers found potential microplastics in the tissues of six Caribbean sponge species from Bocas del Toro, Panama, with concentrations ranging from 6 to 169 particles per gram of dry tissue and an average of 107 particles per liter in surrounding seawater.
Fate of microplastic captured in the marine demosponge Halichondria panicea
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Researchers tracked the fate of 2 and 10 micrometer plastic beads in the marine sponge Halichondria panicea, comparing their retention with that of edible bacteria and algal cells, finding that sponges retained plastic particles differently from food particles. The study advances understanding of sponges as microplastic monitoring organisms by revealing how plastic particles are processed within sponge tissues.
Sponges as Sentinels of Coastal Water Quality and Microplastic Contamination in Mallorca, Western Mediterranean
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Researchers used marine sponges as bioindicators to assess coastal water quality and microplastic contamination in the Mediterranean Sea. Sponge tissues accumulated MPs reflecting local pollution levels, and the authors proposed standardized protocols for using sponges as long-term sentinel organisms for plastic monitoring.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.