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Papers
12 resultsShowing papers from Universidad de Antofagasta
ClearAdvocating microbial diversity conservation in Antarctica
This review highlights how human activities, tourism, and climate change are threatening Antarctica's unique microbial ecosystems, with microplastics now reaching even this remote continent. While focused on conservation, the study underscores that microplastic pollution is truly global in scale, contaminating environments far from any source of plastic production.
Microplastic ingestion cause intestinal lesions in the intertidal fish Girella laevifrons
Researchers fed juvenile intertidal fish diets containing different concentrations of polystyrene microplastics for 45 days and examined intestinal tissue damage. The study found that microplastic ingestion caused dose-dependent intestinal lesions, including increased immune cell infiltration, tissue swelling, and loss of both crypt and villi cells. The severity of tissue damage increased with higher microplastic concentrations, suggesting physical abrasion as a key mechanism of intestinal injury.
Microplastics distribution on the beach sediment based on satellite remote sensing: A case study in Bali, Indonesia
Researchers examined how seasonal ocean currents and tourism activity influence microplastic distribution across three beaches in Bali, Indonesia, between January and July 2024. The study integrated polymer-level characterization with site-specific hydrodynamic data and satellite remote sensing to map microplastic accumulation patterns in beach sediments.
Impacts of Marine Plastic Pollution From Continental Coasts to Subtropical Gyres—Fish, Seabirds, and Other Vertebrates in the SE Pacific
A review of anthropogenic marine debris in the Southeast Pacific found that most plastic pollution along continental coasts originated from local land-based sources, with fish, seabirds, and sea turtles all documented as ingesting or becoming entangled in debris. The study highlights the need for regional waste management improvements to protect SE Pacific vertebrate populations from plastic pollution.
Seabirds as biovectors in the transport of plastic debris across ecosystem borders: A case study from the Humboldt Current Upwelling System
This study examined how seabirds transport plastic debris across ecosystem boundaries, finding that foraging at sea and nesting on land creates significant cross-ecosystem transfer of plastics through regurgitation, feces, and nest materials.
Corrosion of Titanium Electrode Used for Solar Saline Electroflotation
This paper is not relevant to microplastics; it examines corrosion behavior of titanium electrodes used in solar-powered saline electroflotation water treatment systems.
Assessing the impact of chronic and acute plastic pollution from construction activities and other anthropogenic sources: A case study from the coast of Antofagasta, Chile
Researchers documented a previously unreported source of plastic pollution: expanded polystyrene (EPS) used as expansion joints at a coastal construction site in Antofagasta, Chile. They estimated that up to 82.9 million EPS spheres could be released into the environment from just one project, with mechanical fragmentation already occurring during construction. The case study reveals that construction activity is an overlooked chronic source of coastal microplastic pollution, and calls for stricter regulations and materials management at building sites near coastal environments.
“The Good, the Bad and the Double-Sword” Effects of Microplastics and Their Organic Additives in Marine Bacteria
Researchers exposed marine bacteria, including nitrogen-fixing strains, to microplastics and their organic additives, finding both stimulatory and inhibitory 'double-sword' effects on bacterial activities relevant to nutrient cycling and the microbial food web.
Cell size matters: nano- and micro-plastics preferentially drive declines of large marine phytoplankton due to co-aggregation
Nano- and microplastics aggregated preferentially with large marine phytoplankton, causing them to sink faster and reducing their abundance relative to small cells. This selective removal could disrupt marine food webs and reduce the ocean's ability to absorb carbon.
METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN <i>Isognomon alatus</i> BY STAGES AND CLIMATIC SEASONS IN SAN ANDRÉS ISLAND, COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN
Researchers used atomic absorption spectrometry to measure zinc, cadmium, and copper concentrations in the flat oyster Isognomon alatus and surrounding water samples from San Andres Island, Colombia across three climatic seasons in 2009 and 2010. They found significantly higher zinc concentrations in adult versus juvenile oysters at certain sites, with metal bioaccumulation varying seasonally in relation to rainfall intensity, supporting I. alatus as a useful biomonitor for heavy metal contamination in the Caribbean.
Eurythenes atacamensis sp. nov. (Crustacea: Amphipoda) exhibits ontogenetic vertical stratification across abyssal and hadal depths in the Atacama Trench, eastern South Pacific Ocean
Scientists discovered and described a new species of deep-sea amphipod crustacean found in the Atacama Trench of the Pacific Ocean. Notably, these animals live at some of the deepest locations on Earth, which are also sites of documented microplastic contamination.
The “good, the bad and the double-sword” effects of exposure to MPs and their organic additives on N <sub>2</sub> -fixing bacteria
Microplastics and their chemical additives had varied effects on nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with marine seagrasses — some types inhibited growth while others were neutral or stimulating. These complex interactions in marine sediment ecosystems could affect the nitrogen cycle in ecologically important coastal habitats.