Neustonic microplastics and zooplankton in coastal waters of Cabrera Marine Protected Area (Western Mediterranean Sea)

Fagiano, V.; Alomar, Carme; Compa, Montserrat; Soto‐Navarro, Javier; Jordà, Gabriel; Deudero, Salud

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150120

Cited by 33 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Microlitter was retrieved from all water samples taken within the framework of the PISCES project in a much higher (∼20-fold) average concentration (0.30 ± 0.02 items m - ³) than litter particles > 5 mm (0.014 ± 0.003 items m - ³). Keeping in mind the environmental and biological severity of litter < 5 mm, our results are in good agreement with microlitter concentrations reported from other areas of the Mediterranean Sea, Yellow Sea and oceanic waters (Baini et al, 2018; Cincinelli et al, 2017; Collignon et al, 2012; Constant et al, 2018; Cózar et al, 2015; de Lucia et al, 2018, 2014; Expósito et al, 2021; Fagiano et al, 2022; Fossi et al, 2012, 2016; Kazour et al, 2019; Lusher et al, 2015; Panti et al, 2015; Suaria et al, 2016; van der Hal et al, 2017; Zhang et al, 2017; Zhao et al, 2014) (Fig. 9), suggesting that also surveys that are not extensive in either duration or sample sizes can effectively capture the extent of microlitter pollution.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

First evidence of in vitro cytotoxic effects of marine microlitter on Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus, two Mediterranean commercial fish species

Miccoli

Mancini²,

Saraceni

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Marine litter, which is composed mainly of plastics, is recognized as one of the most serious threats to marine ecosystems and a global environmental concern. Microplastics (MPs) densities were estimated in all environmental compartments: marine organisms are highly exposed to and ingest them, resulting in disruption of biological functions. Ecotoxicological approaches have also started elucidating the potential severity of MPs in controlled laboratory studies, but the commercially-available and pristine materials employed hardly reflect the actual composition of the environmental litter, which can be contaminated by chemical pollutants or biological agents. Building on the lack of research employing marine environmental MPs or microlitter as a whole, we characterized the quantity and quality of litter in the coastal epipelagic and in the digestive tract of two commercially-relevant fish species, and exposed primary cell cultures of mucosal and lymphoid organs to marine microlitter. A concentration of 0.30 ± 0.02 microlitter items m-3 was found in the water column of the Northern Tyrrhenian sea. μFT-IR analysis revealed that particles of plastic origin, namely polypropylene, HDPE and polyamide, were present in 100% and 83.3% of M. merluccius and M. barbatus stomachs, respectively, which overall ingested 14.67 ± 4.10 and 5.50 ± 1.97 items. Microlitter was confirmed as a vector of bacteria, fungi and flagellates. Lastly, and for the first time, the apical end-point of viability was significantly reduced in splenic cells exposed in vitro to two microlitter conditions. Considering the role of the spleen in the mounting of adaptive immune responses, our results warrant more in-depth investigations for clarifying the actual susceptibility of the biota to anthropogenic microliter.Highlights0.30 ± 0.02 microlitter items m-3 was found in the coastal epipelagic Northern Tyrrhenian sea14.67 ± 4.10 and 5.50 ± 1.97 items were retrieved from hake and mullet stomach contentsA subsample of the ingested microlitter was of plastic originMicrolitter was validated as a carrier of bacteria, fungi and flagellatesSplenic cells exposed to both microlitter conditions for 72 hours suffered cytotoxicity

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

First evidence of in vitro cytotoxic effects of marine microlitter on Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus, two Mediterranean commercial fish species

Miccoli

Mancini²,

Saraceni

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…It was equipped with a frame opening of 40 cm in width by 70 cm in length, and the cod length of the net was 260 cm. At each sampling station, the manta net was towed for an average of 15 min at an average speed between 1.5 and 2 knots from the boat’s side and with sufficient distance to ensure that the sampling occurred outside of the turbulence of the wake produced by the vessel’s engine (Fagiano et al 2022 ). A Garmin GPS Etrex 10 was used to track the entire track, and the length of each survey was calculated in ArcGIS.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea surface surveys for microplastic and floating marine macro litter items in coastal waters of Cabrera Archipelago Maritime Terrestrial National Park

Compa

Alomar

Rios-Fuster

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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This study is aimed at identifying and comparing microplastics and floating marine litter along the sea surface in the marine protected area of Cabrera Archipelago Maritime Terrestrial National Park (Cabrera MPA) in the Balearic Islands. A total of 52 net surveys and 22 visual surveys were carried out between July and August in 2019 and 2020. The abundance of microplastic (MP) items was highest in the southern and eastern regions, with an average of 381,244.4 ± 1,031,082.8 items/km2 weighing an average of 927.1 ± 2731.4 g/km2. Most of these items were < 5 mm (81%) in size and were mainly composed of polyethylene and polypropylene (98%). In terms of floating marine macro litter (ML) from visual surveys, an average of 2028 ± 2084 items/km2 were observed. In this case, the majority of the ML items were plastic pieces (69%) measuring 2.5 to 50 cm. Furthermore, ML quantified by visual surveys was an order of magnitude higher than in similar studies carried out on large vessels, highlighting the importance of vessel height and speed for identifying the smallest size fractions (81%). The results of this study document the intensity of MPs and ML, primarily plastic, in coastal waters, and provide a baseline for management efforts to mitigate floating litter, in addition to raising awareness of the transferability of marine litter from other regions.

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“…A wavenumber range of 400–4000 cm −1 was used for the measurements and 8 scans per element were performed. Each spectrum was compared with spectra from a customized polymer library integrating different databases [ 44 , 45 ] and an in-house library generated with virgin and marinate reference polymers including various natural and synthetic materials following Fagiano et al (2022) [ 34 ] using OPUS 6.5 software. Only samples with a hit quality index >700 (max.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the Balearic Islands, the MPA of Cabrera Marine-Terrestrial National Park (Cabrera MPA) is located off the south-eastern coast of Mallorca and is a hotspot for endemic marine and terrestrial species. Until now, few studies have quantified marine plastic within the park and its implications for marine species [ 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Seafloor sediment studies have highlighted concentrations of plastic fragments in shallow coastal sediments within Cabrera in addition to the presence of plastic additives such as benzyl butyl phthalate and Crelan ® within the seagrass meadows of Posidonia oceanica [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multispecies Assessment of Anthropogenic Particle Ingestion in a Marine Protected Area

Compa

Alomar

Cortès³

et al. 2022

Biology

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We have applied a multispecies ecosystem approach to analyse the ingestion of anthropogenic particles (AP) in the gastrointestinal tract of 313 individuals (17 fish species and 8 invertebrate species) from pelagic, demersal and benthic habitats in a marine protected area off the Western Mediterranean (Cabrera National Park). We have quantified and characterized the ingestion at several taxonomic levels of fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, bivalves, and jellyfish in relation to biotic/abiotic factors based on taxonomic groups, trophic guilds (functional groups) and habitats. AP ingestion occurrence ranged from 26 to 100% with no significant differences among taxonomic groups. The fish within the MPA showed an overall ingestion occurrence ranging from 0 to 100%, the echinoderms from 29 to 100%, the bivalves from 72 to 96% and the jellyfish 36% ingestion. The ecosystem approach applied to evaluate overall AP ingestion within the species reported that for trophic guilds, the omnivorous species ingested the highest amounts of anthropogenic items, while herbivores ingested significantly fewer items than all other trophic guilds. Moreover, no significant differences were found amongst habitats, indicating a homogeneous spatial distribution of APs at all studied habitats. The multispecies approach provided insight into the high APs exposure to species within Cabrera MPA, highlighting the potential harm linked with marine litter that threatens marine biodiversity.

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Neustonic microplastics and zooplankton in coastal waters of Cabrera Marine Protected Area (Western Mediterranean Sea)

Cited by 33 publications

References 67 publications

First evidence of in vitro cytotoxic effects of marine microlitter on Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus, two Mediterranean commercial fish species

First evidence of in vitro cytotoxic effects of marine microlitter on Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus, two Mediterranean commercial fish species

Sea surface surveys for microplastic and floating marine macro litter items in coastal waters of Cabrera Archipelago Maritime Terrestrial National Park

Multispecies Assessment of Anthropogenic Particle Ingestion in a Marine Protected Area

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