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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Impacts of marine debris on coral reef ecosystem: A review for conservation and ecological monitoring of the coral reef ecosystem
ClearMicroplastic as an invisible threat to the coral reefs: Sources, toxicity mechanisms, policy intervention, and the way forward
This review examines how microplastics threaten coral reefs by causing physical damage, chemical toxicity, and disruption to coral biology. Microplastics can block coral feeding, carry harmful chemicals, and promote disease-causing bacteria on coral surfaces. While focused on coral ecosystems, the findings matter for human health because healthy reefs support fisheries and coastal communities that millions of people depend on.
Macro- and microplastics as complex threats to coral reef ecosystems
This review summarizes the growing threat that plastic pollution, from large debris down to nanoplastics, poses to coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Researchers found that microplastics can impair coral feeding, skeletal formation, and nutrition, weakening reef health. The study calls for including plastic monitoring in reef conservation programs and promoting a circular economy to reduce plastic waste entering oceans.
Research progress on the effects of microplastics on coral reef ecosystems
This review synthesized current knowledge on microplastic pollution in coral reef ecosystems, covering global distribution of reef-associated microplastics, ingestion by reef organisms, and impacts on coral health. Microplastics were found to impair coral feeding, disrupt zooxanthellae, transfer toxins to reef organisms, and potentially contribute to coral reef degradation.
The Distribution and Impact of Microplastics on Coral Reefs: an Ecosystem Approach
This study examines the distribution and ecological impact of microplastics on coral reef ecosystems, providing a Ph.D.-level ecosystem approach to understanding how microplastic pollution affects reef health and biodiversity.
Microplastics in the coral reefs and their potential impacts on corals: A mini-review
This mini-review summarizes the current state of microplastic pollution in coral reef ecosystems worldwide, covering abundance and distribution in seawater, sediments, and coral tissues. Researchers highlight how microplastics interact with corals through ingestion, adhesion, and tissue accumulation, potentially causing stress responses and bleaching. The study calls for more focused research on coral reef regions given the rapid increase in plastic consumption and the vulnerability of these critical ecosystems.
A systematic review of microplastics in coral reef ecosystems: Abundance, distribution, toxicity, and future research directions
This systematic review examined 125 studies on microplastic pollution in coral reef ecosystems. Corals are ingesting microplastics, which can cause tissue damage, stress responses, and impaired growth. Since coral reefs support roughly 25% of all marine species and many fisheries that feed coastal communities, their contamination with microplastics has far-reaching consequences for ocean health and food security.
Ecological Impacts of Microplastics in Coastal Environment
This review summarizes the ecological impacts of microplastics in coastal marine environments, covering ingestion and accumulation in marine birds, mammals, turtles, fish, and mollusks, and the broader consequences for sensitive ecosystems including coral reefs and mangroves.
Microplastics: impacts on corals and other reef organisms
This study reviewed the growing body of evidence on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect corals and other reef organisms. Researchers found that these plastic particles can impair coral feeding, growth, and reproduction, and may worsen the effects of other stressors like ocean warming. The review highlights that plastic pollution represents an additional serious threat to already vulnerable reef ecosystems worldwide.
Impact of Marine Debris on Coral Reef Ecosystem and Effectiveness of Removal of Debris on Ecosystem Health – Baseline Data From Palk Bay, Indian Ocean
Researchers assessed the impact of marine debris, including plastic, on coral reef ecosystems and evaluated the effectiveness of debris removal efforts. The study found that marine debris causes significant physical and ecological harm to reefs, and that removal interventions can provide measurable ecological benefits.
Microplastics in Natural and Artificial Reefs
This review examines microplastic pollution in both natural and artificial reef ecosystems, summarizing how plastic particles accumulate in reef structures, affect coral and associated organisms, and interact with other stressors threatening reef health worldwide.
The Invisible Threat: How Microplastics Endanger Corals
This review explains how microplastics harm coral reefs by causing physical damage, triggering immune responses, introducing toxic chemicals, and smothering coral polyps. Since coral reefs support a quarter of all marine species and protect coastlines, microplastic pollution represents a serious threat to these critical ecosystems.
Relationship Between Characteristics of Marine Debris and Impact to Coral Reef
Researchers surveyed the relationship between marine debris and coral reef health across multiple sites, finding that branching corals are most commonly damaged by debris entanglement. Plastic marine debris was the most frequently found type at all sites, highlighting that coral reefs face chronic physical damage from plastic pollution.
Micro Plastics in The Marine Environment: A Review of Their Effects on Marine Organisms and Ecosystems
This review examines the effects of microplastics on marine organisms and ecosystems, summarizing evidence for MP ingestion across trophic levels, physical and chemical harm to marine life, and the pathways through which marine MP pollution threatens biodiversity and fisheries.
Microplastics: impacts on corals and other reef organisms
This review examines the impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics on corals and reef organisms across all trophic levels. Researchers note that microplastics have been found in the water, sediments, and biota of every coral reef studied, but knowledge gaps remain for nanoplastic contamination due to detection limitations. The study highlights that few studies have examined how microplastic exposure interacts with other stressors like ocean acidification and rising temperatures, making comprehensive risk assessment difficult.
The Ecotoxicological Effects of Microplastics on Primary Producers in the Marine Environment
This review examines how microplastics harm marine primary producers including microalgae, seagrasses, and coral reefs. Microplastics concentrate 2-3 times higher in vegetated marine areas, damage algal cells, and have been linked to roughly 46% of coral reef mortality through disease outbreaks. These disruptions threaten the foundation of marine food webs.
Contamination of microplastics in tropical coral reef ecosystems of Sri Lanka
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination across ten coral reef ecosystems in Sri Lanka, finding microplastics in corals, water, and sediments with fibers and fragments being the dominant types, representing a previously unquantified threat to tropical reef systems.
Investigating the composition and distribution of microplastics surface biofilms in coral areas
Researchers investigated the composition and distribution of microbial biofilms on microplastic surfaces collected from coral reef areas. The study found that microplastics harbor distinct microbial communities including potentially pathogenic species, raising concerns that microplastic pollution may contribute to coral disease by serving as vectors for harmful microorganisms in reef ecosystems.
Microplastics in corals: An emergent threat
A summary of recent research found that microplastics impair coral health through species-specific mechanisms including reduced growth, altered enzymatic activity, increased mucus production, disrupted coral-algae symbiosis, and bleaching — with effects observed even at concentrations below current environmental maxima.
Overview of Effect of Plastic Waste Pollution on Marine Environment
This review examines the direct effects of plastic waste pollution on marine organisms including coral reefs and sea turtles, assessing how plastic contamination disrupts marine ecosystems more broadly, and recommending regulatory and technological solutions to reduce plastic production and manage existing plastic waste in marine environments.
Microplastic pollution in tropical coral reef ecosystems from the coastal South China Sea and their impacts on corals in situ
Researchers studied microplastic contamination in coral reef ecosystems off southern China, finding plastic particles in seawater, sediment, corals, shellfish, and fish. Different coral species absorbed microplastics at different rates, with smaller particles penetrating deeper into coral tissue. Since coral reefs support fisheries and coastal communities, this contamination could affect both marine ecosystems and the seafood that people eat.
Impact of micro-and nanoplastic contamination on reef-building corals
Researchers exposed two tropical coral species to micro- and nanoplastics of varying polymer types and assessed bleaching, symbiont loss, and tissue damage. Both species showed stress responses including reduced photosynthetic efficiency and partial bleaching, with effects varying by plastic type and size, suggesting reef-building corals are vulnerable to plastic pollution.
Tiny particles, big problems: Microplastic lessons from coral reproduction to reef conservation
This doctoral dissertation examines the effects of microplastics on coral reproduction across life stages, drawing lessons from these findings to inform reef conservation strategies.
Responses of reef building corals to microplastic exposure
Researchers exposed six species of small-polyp stony corals to polyethylene microplastics to characterize their responses and potential health effects. They found that corals interacted with the particles through ingestion and adhesion, with responses varying by species and coral morphology. The study suggests that microplastic exposure could affect reef-building corals, which are already under stress from climate change and ocean acidification.
The outbreak of Drupella snails and its catastrophic effects on coral reefs: a comprehensive review
This review examines outbreaks of Drupella snails that feed on coral polyps and can cause severe damage to coral reef ecosystems. While not directly about microplastics, the research is relevant because coral reef degradation, which can be worsened by microplastic pollution and other environmental stressors, may actually trigger Drupella outbreaks. Healthy coral reefs support fisheries and protect coastlines, so any factor that contributes to their decline, including microplastic pollution, has downstream effects on the communities that depend on them.