Anthropogenic microfibers are highly abundant at the Burdwood Bank seamount, a protected sub-Antarctic environment in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Mauro, Rosana Di; Castillo, Santiago; Pérez, Analía Fernanda; Iachetti, Clara M.; Silva, Leonel; Tomba, J. Pablo; Chiesa, Ignacio Luis

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119364

Cited by 20 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 161 publications

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“…For each polymer typology, MFs were manually isolated from the stock on aluminum foils using tweezers under a stereomicroscope (GZ 808 Optech) and counted to obtain the number of MFs required for the exposure concentration for mussels at 50 MFs L-1. This value is at the upper end of the of environmental range of MFs extrapolated from available literature (Bagaev et al, 2017;Gago et al, 2018;Suaria et al, 2020;Herzke et al, 2021;Di Mauro et al, 2022), but still environmentally realistic of polluted scenarios and accumulation areas as coastal waters or convergence zones (Bagaev et al, 2017;Herzke et al, 2021;Di Mauro et al, 2022;Queiroz et al, 2022).…”

Section: Microfibers Preparationmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…MFs end-up in marine environment via air or water transport, through wastewater treatment plants effluents, rain, riverine and agricultural runoffs (Liu et al, 2021), which are the main factors affecting MFs levels in coastal areas while ocean currents drive their distribution and accumulation in specific convergence zones. Overall, MFs are detected in surface layer at levels ranging from less than one item L-1 up to few tens items L-1 (Bagaev et al, 2017;Gago et al, 2018;Suaria et al, 2020;Herzke et al, 2021;Di Mauro et al, 2022), but substantial amounts are probably suspended in the water column or exported to the seafloor (Suaria et al, 2020;Di Mauro et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cellular disturbance and thermal stress response in mussels exposed to synthetic and natural microfibers

et al. 2022

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Textile microfibers (MFs) have natural (e.g. cotton, wool and silk) or synthetic origin (e.g. polyester and polyamide), and are increasingly documented in the marine environment. Knowledge on their biological effects in marine organisms is still limited, and virtually unexplored is their capability to modulate the responsiveness toward other stressors, including those of emerging relevance under global changes scenario. With such background, the aims of this study were to i) determine the ingestion and biological effects of MFs, discriminating between synthetic and natural ones, and ii) elucidate the possibility that MFs alter the responsiveness toward additional stressors occurring at a later stage, after exposure. Adult mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were exposed for 14 days to a high but still environmentally realistic concentration of 50 MFs L-1 of either polyester (618 ± 367 µm length, 13 ± 1 µm diameter), polyamide (566 ± 500 µm length, 11 ± 1 µm in diameter) or cotton (412 ± 342 µm length, 16 ± 4 µm diameter). After the exposure, mussels were left for 7 days to recover at control temperature (23°C) or exposed to a heatwave condition (27°C). At the end of each phase (exposure – recovery – heat stress), MFs ingestion-elimination was evaluated, along with a wide panel of biological responses, including neuro-immune and antioxidant systems alterations, lipid metabolism and onset of cellular damages. Results were elaborated through a Weight of Evidence approach to provide synthetic hazard indices based on both the magnitude and toxicological relevance of observed variations. Beside limited differences in retention and elimination of MFs, biological analyses highlighted disturbance of the immune system and demand of protection toward oxidative insult, particularly evident in mussels exposed to synthetic-MFs. Carry-over effects were observed after 7 days of recovery: organisms that had been previously exposed to MFs showed a higher susceptibility of the neuroendocrine-immune system and lipid metabolism to thermal stress compared to un-exposed mussels. Overall, this study provided evidence of direct cellular effects of MFs, emphasizing differences between synthetic and natural ones, and highlighted their capability to modulate organisms’ susceptibility toward additional stressors, as those predicted for future changes in marine ecosystems.

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Section: Microfibers Preparationmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cellular disturbance and thermal stress response in mussels exposed to synthetic and natural microfibers

et al. 2022

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“…AP have been found in terrestrial (Rillig & Lehmann, 2020), aquatic (Castañeda et al, 2014; Miller et al, 2017), and atmospheric (Allen et al, 2019; Tao et al, 2022; Wright et al, 2020) habitats across the world, including urban (Castañeda et al, 2014; Wright et al, 2020) and remote locations (Allen et al, 2019; Bergmann et al, 2019; Bottari et al, 2022; Di Mauro et al, 2022; Lasdin et al, 2023; Shahul Hamid et al, 2018). For aquatic habitats, urbanization tends to be associated with higher AP concentrations (Baldwin et al, 2016; Treilles et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic particle concentrations and fluxes in an urban river are temporally variable and impacted by storm events

Berg,

Dila,

Schaul

et al. 2024

Water Environment Research

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Anthropogenic particles (AP), which include microplastics and other synthetic, semisynthetic, and anthropogenically modified materials, are pollutants of concern in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Rivers are important conduits and retention sites for AP, and time series data on the movement of these particles in lotic ecosystems are needed to assess the role of rivers in the global AP cycle. Much research assessing AP pollution extrapolates stream loads based on single time point measurements, but lotic ecosystems are highly variable over time (e.g., seasonality and storm events). The accuracy of models describing AP dynamics in rivers is constrained by the limited studies that examine how frequent changes in discharge drive particle retention and transport. This study addressed this knowledge gap by using automated, high‐resolution sampling to track AP concentrations and fluxes during multiple storm events in an urban river (Milwaukee River) and comparing these measurements to commonly monitored water quality metrics. AP concentrations and fluxes varied significantly across four storm events, highlighting the temporal variability of AP dynamics. When data from the sampling periods were pooled, there were increases in particle concentration and flux during the early phases of the storms, suggesting that floods may flush AP into the river and/or resuspend particles from the benthic zone. AP flux was closely linked to river discharge, suggesting large loads of AP are delivered downstream during storms. Unexpectedly, AP concentrations were not correlated with other simultaneously measured water quality metrics, including total suspended solids, fecal coliforms, chloride, nitrate, and sulfate, indicating that these metrics cannot be used to estimate AP. These data will contribute to more accurate models of particle dynamics in rivers and global plastic export to oceans.Practitioner Points Anthropogenic particle (AP) concentrations and fluxes in an urban river varied across four storm events. AP concentrations and fluxes were the highest during the early phases of the storms. Storms increased AP transport downstream compared with baseflow. AP concentrations did not correlate with other water quality metrics during storms.

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“…Besides bycatch, species of seabirds are being affected by the fishery due to discards, altering its diet; the most frequently encountered species are Black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris, Southern giant petrel Macronectes giganteus, Cape petrel Daption capense, Southern royal albatross Diomedea epomophora, Northern giant petrel M. halli, and Whitechinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis(Tamini et al 2023). Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge considering the species' role in the ecosystem and the potential joint effect of both target fishes and bycatch in a broader food web framework.Anthropogenic contaminants such as microplastics and mercury are present in the water column of the Burdwood Bank ecosystem(Cossi et al 2021;Fioramonti et al 2022;Di Mauro et al 2022). Microplastics are distributed all along the water column, from surface to deep waters (3-2450 m) (DiMauro et al 2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge considering the species' role in the ecosystem and the potential joint effect of both target fishes and bycatch in a broader food web framework.Anthropogenic contaminants such as microplastics and mercury are present in the water column of the Burdwood Bank ecosystem(Cossi et al 2021;Fioramonti et al 2022;Di Mauro et al 2022). Microplastics are distributed all along the water column, from surface to deep waters (3-2450 m) (DiMauro et al 2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of trophic interaction networks to multiple stressors in a marine latitudinal gradient of the Southern Hemisphere

Marina,

Saravia,

Rodriguez

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Ecological networks offer valuable insights into community structure, key species identification, and ecosystem management for biodiversity conservation. Understanding how these networks react to environmental and anthropogenic stressors, especially along geographical gradients, is of increasing interest. This review presents a pioneering analysis of stressor responses in marine food webs from the southwest Atlantic to the Antarctic (45 - 78ºS), encompassing areas such as San Jorge Gulf, Beagle Channel, Burdwood Bank, Scotia Sea, Potter Cove, and the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Our objectives are to: 1) describe the structure of marine food webs along this axis using a network approach; 2) identify predominant environmental and anthropogenic stressors affecting each ecosystem; and 3) summarize observed food web changes and hypothesize on stressor impacts. Our collaborative team, comprising regional experts and global authorities on high-latitude marine food webs and stressor effects, ensures a comprehensive and credible literature review. We assessed the effects of stressors primarily at the species level, with notable exceptions like fisheries in San Jorge Gulf. Hypotheses for each study area were formulated considering: a) stressors; b) impacted parameters; c) node-level species properties; and d) network-level food web properties. Global warming emerges as the most common stressor across the gradient, except in the Beagle Channel and Burdwood Bank, where alien species introduction and fisheries are more influential, respectively. We offer specific hypotheses on how warming may affect food webs. Our findings highlight the benefits of a network approach in understanding and predicting stressor effects in Southern Hemisphere marine ecosystems. This approach provides a holistic understanding of ecological networks, enhances our ability to identify key species and interactions, and offers insights for ecosystem management and conservation in the face of various stressors.

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Anthropogenic microfibers are highly abundant at the Burdwood Bank seamount, a protected sub-Antarctic environment in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Cited by 20 publications

References 161 publications

Cellular disturbance and thermal stress response in mussels exposed to synthetic and natural microfibers

Cellular disturbance and thermal stress response in mussels exposed to synthetic and natural microfibers

Anthropogenic particle concentrations and fluxes in an urban river are temporally variable and impacted by storm events

The response of trophic interaction networks to multiple stressors in a marine latitudinal gradient of the Southern Hemisphere

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