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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Research progress on the effects of microplastics on coral reef ecosystems
ClearA 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Impacts of marine debris on coral reef ecosystem: A review for conservation and ecological monitoring of the coral reef ecosystem
This review examines how marine debris, especially microplastics, threatens coral reef ecosystems by causing physical damage, spreading disease, and disrupting coral biology. Microplastics can stick to coral polyps and block their feeding, while also carrying harmful bacteria that cause coral diseases. Healthy coral reefs are vital for fisheries and coastal protection, so their decline from plastic pollution indirectly affects the millions of people who depend on reef ecosystems for food and livelihoods.
Microplastic 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Scleractinian corals incorporate microplastic particles: identification from a laboratory study
Laboratory experiments demonstrated that scleractinian corals actively incorporate microplastic particles during feeding, with ingestion rates varying by particle size and polymer type, raising concerns about chronic microplastic exposure in coral reef ecosystems.
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.
Feeding responses of reef-building corals provide species- and concentration-dependent risk assessment of microplastic
This study quantitatively assessed how reef-building coral species feed on microplastic particles, comparing feeding responses across species and concentrations relative to natural food particles. Results showed species-specific and concentration-dependent ingestion, providing a more nuanced risk assessment framework for microplastic impacts on corals.
Microplastic contamination of coral reef fish larvae of the Great Barrier Reef: baseline data and influences of oceanographic and ecological features
Researchers found microplastics in coral reef fish larvae collected from the Great Barrier Reef, with particles concentrated by the same oceanographic processes that aggregate zooplankton prey. The similarity in size between microplastics and natural prey items increases the likelihood of accidental ingestion by larvae.
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.
Faculty Opinions recommendation of Microplastics in the coral reefs and their potential impacts on corals: A mini-review.
This is a faculty opinion summarizing a mini-review on microplastics in coral reefs, noting the research gap around reef-specific impacts and calling for more targeted studies on how microplastics affect coral health, feeding, and reproduction. Coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots that support hundreds of millions of people.
Assessment of microplastic pollution in corals, seawater, and marine sediments in the Gulf of Thailand
Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence, abundance, and characteristics in coral, seawater, and sediment samples from two reef sites in the Gulf of Thailand, detecting microplastics in all coral samples at concentrations ranging from 0.24 to 2.60 particles per gram and finding spatial variability across reef species and sites.
Do coral reefs act as sinks for microplastics?
This review examined whether coral reefs act as sinks for microplastics, finding five mechanisms that promote microplastic accumulation including adhesion to corals, ingestion by reef organisms, trapping by reef structures, and burial in reef sediments. Despite covering less than 1% of ocean area, coral reefs disproportionately concentrate microplastics.
A Decade of Microplastic Ingestion in Coral Fish: A Systematic Review of Trends in Asia
This systematic review summarizes a decade of research on microplastic ingestion by coral reef fish in Asia. It found widespread contamination across species, which matters for human health because many of these fish are commonly consumed as seafood in the region.
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.