Plastic films on the bottom of the Skagerack

Holmström, Arne

doi:10.1038/255622a0

Cited by 56 publications

(30 citation statements)

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“…Consequently, with a proportion of 13-18%, epibionts contribute significantly to the overall specific density of the floating assemblage. Loss of buoyancy as result of heavy fouling coverage has also been observed for plastics (Holmström 1975, Ye & Andrady 1991, Winston et al 1997, Moore et al 2001. Dixon et al (1981) described that plants of Macrocystis pyrifera fouled by Membranipora sp.…”

Section: Fully Sessilementioning

confidence: 97%

The Ecology of Rafting in the Marine Environment. Ii. the Rafting Organisms and Community

Thiel¹,

Gutow²

2005

Oceanography and Marine Biology - An Annual Review

351

394

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Rafting of marine and terrestrial organisms has been reported from a variety of substrata and from all major oceans of the world. Herein we present information on common rafting organisms and on ecological interactions during rafting voyages. An extensive literature review revealed a total of 1205 species, for which rafting was confirmed or inferred based on distributional or genetic evidence. Rafting organisms comprised cyanobacteria, algae, protists, invertebrates from most marine but also terrestrial phyla, and even a few terrestrial vertebrates. Marine hydrozoans, bryozoans, crustaceans and gastropods were the most common taxa that had been observed rafting. All major feeding types were represented among rafters, being dominated by grazing/boring and suspension-feeding organisms, which occurred on all floating substrata. Besides these principal trophic groups, predators/scavengers and detritus feeders were also reported. Motility of rafting organisms was highest on macroalgae and lowest on abiotic substrata such as plastics and volcanic pumice. Important trends were revealed for the reproductive biology of rafting organisms. A high proportion of clonal organisms (Cnidaria and Bryozoa) featured asexual reproduction, often in combination with sexual reproduction. Almost all rafting organisms have internal fertilisation, which may be due to the fact that gamete concentrations in the rafting environment are too low for successful fertilisation of external fertilisers. Following fertilisation, many rafting organisms incubate their offspring in/on their body or deposit embryos in egg masses on rafts. Local recruitment, where offspring settle in the immediate vicinity of parents, is considered an important advantage for establishing persistent local populations on a raft, or in new habitats. Some organisms are obligate rafters, spending their entire life cycle on a raft, but the large majority of reported rafters are considered facultative rafters. These organisms typically live in benthic (or terrestrial) habitats, but may become dispersed while being confined to a floating item. Substratum characteristics (complexity, surface, size) have important effects on the composition of the rafting community. While at sea, ecological interactions (facilitation, competition, predation) contribute to the community succession on rafts. Organisms capable to compete for and exploit resources on a raft (space and food) will be able to persist throughout community succession. The duration of rafting voyages is closely related to rafting distances, which may cover various geographical scales. In chronological order, three features of an organism gain in importance during rafting, these being ability to (1) hold onto floating items, (2) establish and compete successfully and (3) develop persistent local MARTIN THIEL & LARS GUTOW 280 populations during a long voyage. Small organisms that do not feed on their floating substratum and, with asexual reproduction or direct development, combine all these features appear to be mos...

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Section: Fully Sessilementioning

confidence: 97%

The Ecology of Rafting in the Marine Environment. Ii. the Rafting Organisms and Community

Thiel¹,

Gutow²

2005

Oceanography and Marine Biology - An Annual Review

351

394

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show abstract

“…Other reports included synthetic fibers in water samples (Buchanan 1971), shipboard visual observations of large floating debris (Venrick et al 1973), seafloor debris in benthic fishing trawls (Holmström 1975), and plastic debris on beaches (Cundell 1973, Dixon & Cooke 1977. Ingestion of plastics by seabirds (Harper & Fowler 1987) and sea turtles (Balazs 1985) began as early as the 1960s.…”

Section: Sampling and Analytical Methods For Marine Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastics in the Marine Environment

Law

2017

Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci.

797

345

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Plastics contamination in the marine environment was first reported nearly 50 years ago, less than two decades after the rise of commercial plastics production, when less than 50 million metric tons were produced per year. In 2014, global plastics production surpassed 300 million metric tons per year. Plastic debris has been detected worldwide in all major marine habitats, in sizes from microns to meters. In response, concerns about risks to marine wildlife upon exposure to the varied forms of plastic debris have increased, stimulating new research into the extent and consequences of plastics contamination in the marine environment. Here, I present a framework to evaluate the current understanding of the sources, distribution, fate, and impacts of marine plastics. Despite remaining knowledge gaps in mass budgeting and challenges in investigating ecological impacts, the increasing evidence of the ubiquity of plastics contamination in the marine environment, the continued rapid growth in plastics production, and the evidence-albeit limited-of demonstrated impacts to marine wildlife support immediate implementation of source-reducing measures to decrease the potential risks of plastics in the marine ecosystem.

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“…Holmström (1975) reported how Swedish fishermen "almost invariably" caught plastic sheets in their trawl nets when fishing in the Skagerrak. Subsequent analysis showed this to be low-density polyethylene, similar to that used for packaging.…”

Section: The Early 1970s-pellets and Other Problems In The North Atlamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Brief History of Marine Litter Research

Ryan

2015

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

211

153

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This chapter traces the history of marine litter research from anecdotal reports of entanglement and plastic ingestion in the 1960s to the current focus on microplastics and their role in the transfer of persistent organic pollutants to marine food webs. The reports in Science of large numbers of plastic pellets in the North Atlantic in the early 1970s stimulated research interest in plastic litter at sea, with papers reporting plastics on the seafloor and impacting a variety of marine animals. The focus then shifted to high concentrations of plastic litter in the North Pacific, where novel studies reported the dynamics of stranded beach litter, the factors influencing plastic ingestion by seabirds, and trends in fur seal entanglement. By the early 1980s, growing concern about the potential impacts of marine litter resulted in a series of meetings on marine debris. The first two international conferences held in Honolulu by the US National Marine Fisheries Service played a key role in setting the research agenda for the next decade. By the end of the 1980s, most impacts of marine litter were reasonably well understood, and attention shifted to seeking effective solutions to tackle the marine litter problem. Research was largely restricted to monitoring trends in litter to assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures, until the last decade, when concern about microplastics coupled with the discovery of alarming densities of small plastic particles in the North Pacific 'garbage patch' (and other mid-ocean gyres) stimulated the current wave of research.

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Plastic films on the bottom of the Skagerack

Cited by 56 publications

References 1 publication

The Ecology of Rafting in the Marine Environment. Ii. the Rafting Organisms and Community

The Ecology of Rafting in the Marine Environment. Ii. the Rafting Organisms and Community

Plastics in the Marine Environment

A Brief History of Marine Litter Research

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