Reef‐building corals act as long‐term sink for microplastic

Reichert, Jessica; Arnold, Angelina L.; Hammer, Nils; Miller, Ingo B.; Rades, Marvin; Schubert, Patrick; Ziegler, Maren; Wilke, Thomas

doi:10.1111/gcb.15920

Cited by 49 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 107 publications

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“…One could hypothesize that the test structure and properties of hyaline foraminifera might change through the incorporation of nanoplastics, with potentially negative effects for the light conditions for symbiont photosynthesis, or test stability. Adhesion, ingestion and skeletal incorporation of nanoplastics could also become a potential sink for nanoplastic pollution, as previously hypothesized in the case of scleratinian corals 13 , 47 , 48 . Since LBF are essential components of tropical coral reef communities, the large-scale incorporation of nanoplastic into LBF tests as well as the potential consequences (e.g., test instability, toxicity) could influence ecosystem functions, such as carbonate production and coastline stability.…”

Section: Implications For Lbf and Their Sedimentological And Ecologic...mentioning

confidence: 66%

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Nanoplastic incorporation into an organismal skeleton

Joppien

Westphal

Chandra

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Studies on the effects of global marine plastic pollution have largely focused on physiological responses of few organism groups (e.g., corals, fishes). Here, we report the first observation of polymer nanoparticles being incorporated into the calcite skeleton of a large benthic foraminifera (LBF), a significant contributor to global carbonate production. While previous work on LBF has documented selectivity in feeding behaviour and a high degree of specialization regarding skeletal formation, in this study, abundant cases of nanoplastic encrustation into the calcite tests were observed. Nanoplastic incorporation was associated with formation of new chambers, in conjunction with rapid nanoplastic ingestion and subsequent incomplete egestion. Microalgae presence in nanoplastic treatments significantly increased the initial feeding response after 1 day, but regardless of microalgae presence, nanoplastic ingestion was similar after 6 weeks of chronic exposure. While ~ 40% of ingesting LBF expelled all nanoplastics from their cytoplasm, nanoplastics were still attached to the test surface and subsequently encrusted by calcite. These findings highlight the need for further investigation regarding plastic pollution impacts on calcifying organisms, e.g., the function of LBF as potential plastic sinks and alterations in structural integrity of LBF tests that will likely have larger ecosystem-level impacts on sediment production.

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Section: Implications For Lbf and Their Sedimentological And Ecologic...mentioning

confidence: 66%

“…One of the largely unknown impacts of micro- and nanoplastics is their potential to affect protective skeletal structures of marine calcifying organisms. Only recently, skeletal encrustation of microplastics in scleractinian corals was observed 12 , 13 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nanoplastic incorporation into an organismal skeleton

Joppien

Westphal

Chandra

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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“…Secondary microplastics are the ones formed as a result of the degradation and decomposition of the macroplastics [16]. The most common sink for microplastics is the marine environment, including the sediment, deep sea [17,18], shorelines [19,20], oceans [21,22], and interestingly coral reefs as well [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Review of Their Sources, Formation, Fate, and Ecotoxicological Impact

Haque¹,

Fan²

2023

Environmental Sciences

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Global plastic production is on the rise, and improper plastic management leads to the disposal of plastic in the environment, wherein it enters the environment, after degradation, as microplastics (size < 5 mm) and nanoplastics (size < 1 μm). The most common sink for the microplastics is the marine environment, including the sediment, deep sea, shorelines, and oceans. The objective of this study is to collate the environmental impact assessment of the microplastics in the marine habitat, focusing on the following main elements: (a) source and type of microplastics, specifically leading to the marine sink; (b) degradation pathways; (c) ecotoxicological impact on marine biota, since the smaller-sized microplastics can be digested by the marine biota and cause threats to them; (d) fate of microplastic in the marine environment, including the modes of transport and deposition. This chapter aims to provide a deeper insight into the fate of microplastics once it enters the marine environment, and the information could be a useful reference for the development of microplastic risk management strategies.

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“…In recent years, microplastic pollution in the coral reefs of the South China Sea has also gained increasing attention owing to its possible role in causing massive bleaching. 15 In the present study, three representative stations in the coral reef ecosystems along the south coast of Sanya City, Hainan Province of China, were selected to investigate the microplastic pollution status and the impacts of microplastics on scleractinian coral Porites pukoensis. This species was selected as the target because it is considered to be more resistant to environmental stressors than the fast-growing corals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Heterotrophic Plasticity of Massive Coral Porites pukoensis Contributes to Its Tolerance to Bioaccumulated Microplastics

Zhou

Tang

Cao

et al. 2023

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Scleractinian corals have been observed to be capable of accumulating microplastics from reef environments; however, the tolerant mechanism is poorly known. Here, we examined the response of Porites pukoensis to microplastic pollution by analyzing algal symbiont density, energetic metabolism, and caspase3 activities (representing the apoptosis level) in the coral–Symbiodiniaceae association. The environments of three fringing reef regions along the south coast of Sanya City, Hainan Province of China, were polluted by microplastics (for example, microplastic concentrations in the seawater ranged from 3.3 to 46.6 particles L–1), resulting in microplastic accumulation in P. pukoensis (0.4–2.4 particles cm–2). The accumulation of microplastics was negatively correlated to algal symbiont density in the corals but not to caspase3 activities in the two symbiotic partners, demonstrating that P. pukoensis could tolerate accumulated microplastics despite the decrease of algal symbiont density. Furthermore, results from the carbon stable isotope and cellular energy allocation assay indicated that P. pukoensis obtained energy availability (mainly as lipid reserves) using the switch between heterotrophy and autotrophy to maintain energy balance and cope with accumulated microplastics. Collectively, P. pukoensis achieved tolerance to microplastic pollution by maintaining energy availability, which was largely attributed to its high heterotrophic plasticity.

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Reef‐building corals act as long‐term sink for microplastic

Cited by 49 publications

References 107 publications

Nanoplastic incorporation into an organismal skeleton

Nanoplastic incorporation into an organismal skeleton

Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Review of Their Sources, Formation, Fate, and Ecotoxicological Impact

High Heterotrophic Plasticity of Massive Coral Porites pukoensis Contributes to Its Tolerance to Bioaccumulated Microplastics

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