Microplastic pollution around remote uninhabited coral reefs of Nansha Islands, South China Sea

Tan, Fei; Yang, Hongqiang; Xu, Xiangrong; Fang, Zhou; Xu, Hai; Shi, Quan; Zhang, Xiyang; Wang, Guan; Lin, Li; Zhou, Shuai; Huang, Lei; Li, Hengxiang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138383

Cited by 96 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Increasing numbers of studies report potential risks of microplastic pollution on coral health. The results are based on laboratory studies (Hall et al 2015;Allen et al 2017;Reichert et al 2018Reichert et al , 2019Martin et al 2019) and environmental assessments (Connors 2017;Rotjan et al 2019;Ding et al 2019;Tan et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scleractinian corals incorporate microplastic particles: identification from a laboratory study

Hierl

Westphal

2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Microplastics have been detected on beaches and in the ocean from surface habitats to the deep-sea. Microplastics can be mistaken for food items by marine organisms, posing a potential risk for bioaccumulation and biomagnification in the food chain. Our understanding of microplastic pollution effects on ecosystem and physiological processes of coral reefs is still limited. This study contributes to the understanding of effects of microplastic pollution on skeletal precipitation of hermatypic corals. In a five month aquarium-based experiment, specimens of four tropical species were temporarily exposed to high concentrations (ca. 0.5 g L-1) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastic particles (< 500 μm). The coral specimens all survived this treatment and show skeletal growth. The skeletal material produced during the experiment, however, incorporated plastic particles and plastic fibres in the aragonitic structure. Long-term consequences of such inclusions on skeletal properties such as stability are yet unknown.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scleractinian corals incorporate microplastic particles: identification from a laboratory study

Hierl

Westphal

2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…As a core area of coral reefs in China, the Nansha Islands have a diverse array of species and rich mineral deposits and are well known for their tropical marine fisheries. However, numerous anthropogenic activities, such as increased marine transportation, over-exploitation of mineral resources, and a rapid increase in tourism, have contributed to deterioration in the marine ecosystem (Sun et al, 2019;Tan et al, 2020). While the fish diversity of Nansha Islands and nearby waters was reported by Chen et al (2010) and Liu et al (2012), knowledge of reef fish diversity in the Mischief Reef was limited.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA Barcoding of Fish in Mischief Reef—Fish Diversity of a Reef Fish Community From Nansha Islands

et al. 2021

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Development of effective conservation and management strategies requires assessments of ecosystem biodiversity status, especially in understudied hotspots of global fish diversity. Coral reefs are important habitats for fishes, with biodiversity hotspots known globally. We present the first data on molecular diversity of fishes of Mischief Reef, the largest atoll in the Nansha Islands. Partial sequences (650 bp) of mitochondrial COI gene (Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) are used to identify 209 individuals, representing 101 species, referable to 62 genera, 27 families, 8 orders, and 1 class. The most abundant orders are the Perciformes (176 specimens, 84.21%), Tetraodontiformes (13 specimens, 6.22%), and Beryciformes (13 specimens, 6.22%). Mean Kimura 2-Parameter genetic distances within genera, families, and orders are 4.51, 13.90, and 17.63%, respectively. We record Monotaxis heterodon from this region for the first time—a species that may previously have been misidentified as M. grandoculis. In addition, we recognized possible cryptic species of Lethrinus olivaceus based on significantly diverging barcode sequences. Barcode data provide new insights into fish diversity of Mischief Reef, important for developing further researches on this fauna, and for its conservation.

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“…Yet, it has been constantly threatened by anthropogenic activities, such as overfishing, coastal development, global warming, climate change and ocean acidification. Microplastics, an emerging pollutant, has been a rising concern among many pollutants, because they are ubiquitous and increased susceptibility to diseases (Reichert et al 2019;Tan et al 2020). Corals can deal with microplastics by ingesting and partially egesting or by cleaning mechanisms, such as mucus release, that can be energy intensive, and can potentially interfere with the normal functioning heterotrophic feeding, ultimately impacting the growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Corals can deal with microplastics by ingesting and partially egesting or by cleaning mechanisms, such as mucus release, that can be energy intensive, and can potentially interfere with the normal functioning heterotrophic feeding, ultimately impacting the growth. In addition, it causes pathogen transmission through particle-associated microbial biofilms, necrosis and bleaching on coral reefs, increasing their disease risk to about 85% (Lamb et al 2018;Reichert et al 2018Reichert et al , 2019Tan et al 2020). Thus, plastics inhibits coral development, posing a significant threat, and imperils the cold-water coral reefs resilience and their biodiversity (Chapron et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in mangroves and coral reef ecosystems: a review

2021

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Microplastic pollution has recently been identified as a major issue for the health of ecosystems. Microplastics have typically sizes of less than 5 mm and occur in various forms, such as pellets, fibres, fragments, films, and granules. Mangroves and coral reefs are sensitive and restricted ecosystems that provide free ecological services such as coastal protection, maintaining natural cycles, hotspots of biodiversity and economically valuable goods. However, urbanization and industrial activities have started contaminating even these preserved ecosystems. Here we review sources, occurrence, and toxicity of microplastics in the trophic levels of mangrove and coral reef ecosystems. We present detection methods, such as microscopic identification and spectroscopy. We discuss mitigating measures that prevent the entry of microplastics into the marine environment.

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Microplastic pollution around remote uninhabited coral reefs of Nansha Islands, South China Sea

Cited by 96 publications

References 57 publications

Scleractinian corals incorporate microplastic particles: identification from a laboratory study

Scleractinian corals incorporate microplastic particles: identification from a laboratory study

DNA Barcoding of Fish in Mischief Reef—Fish Diversity of a Reef Fish Community From Nansha Islands

Microplastics in mangroves and coral reef ecosystems: a review

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