Presence of Microplastics in Invertebrate Communities in Marinas in Coastal Ecosystems

Coastal ecosystems are impacted by microplastic pollution from major industrial and urbanized cities. These ecosystems support a wide variety of invertebrates, fishes, birds, and even large mammals. Filter feeding marine invertebrates are uniquely threatened by microplastic pollution because the size range of microplastics overlaps with that of their natural food sources, increasing both the bioavailability of microplastics and the potential for bioaccumulation. My project aims to i) quantify microplastic concentrations in the waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay and the Florida Keys, and ii) assess microplastic presence in benthic invertebrates, with a focus on habitats within marinas. While the contribution to water clean-up is well documented for bivalves, for example within oyster reefs, less information is available for other filter-feeding organisms. The results from this study will provide us with a greater understanding of whether marinas and their associated invertebrate communities act as sinks to plastic pollution. Knowing how much plastic is retained by these communities, relative to the environmental concentration, is highly relevant to understand their role in mitigating microplastic pollution in the environment.