The Prevalence And Impact Of Microplastics In Marine Biodiversity Hotspots
Main Article Content
Abstract
As the global community grapples with the escalating crisis of plastic pollution, microplastics have emerged as a pervasive and insidious threat to marine biodiversity hotspots, including the critically important regions of the Tropical Eastern Pacific and Galápagos. The multifaceted dimensions of microplastic pollution, examining its prevalence, sources, and detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems, with a particular focus on these biodiversity-rich areas. Utilizing a combination of surface water sampling, sediment analysis, and biological examinations, our research reveals a disturbing ubiquity of microplastics across all investigated mediums. Notably, 100% of water samples and a significant proportion of marine organisms tested positive for microplastic ingestion. These findings underscore the pervasive nature of microplastic contamination, even in remote and ostensibly pristine marine environments. Primary sources of microplastic pollution, including mismanaged waste from coastal communities, maritime activities, and atmospheric deposition. Furthermore, it explores the transformation of macroplastics into microplastics through physical, chemical, and biological processes, highlighting the relentless cycle of pollution that exacerbates the spread of microplastics in marine environments. The impact of microplastics on marine organisms is examined through the lens of ingestion and entanglement, the potential for physical harm, toxicological effects due to associated pollutants, and the disruption of feeding behaviors and energy allocation in marine wildlife. These impacts not only threaten individual species but also have broader implications for marine food webs and ecosystem health.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Lusher, A. Microplastics in the marine environment: Distribution, interactions and effects. link.springer.com 245–307 (2015)
Can-Güven, E. (2021). Microplastics as Emerging Atmospheric Pollutants: A Review and Bibliometric Analysis. Air Qual. Atmos. Health 14, 203–215.
Jacques, O., and Prosser, R. S. (2021). A Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Soil Ecosystems. Sci. Total Environ. 757, 143987.
Long Zouxia, Yu Xingguang, Jin Xianglong, Ren Jianye. Progress in Marine Microplastics Pollution Research [J]. Journal of Applied Oceanography, 2017, 36(4), 586-596.
Bhuyan MS (2022) Effects of Microplastics on Fish and in Human Health. Front. Environ. Sci. 10:827289
Alimba, C. G., and Faggio, C. (2019). Microplastics in the marine Environment: Current Trends in Environmental Pollution and Mechanisms of Toxicological Profile. Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 68, 61–74.
Bonfanti, P., Colombo, A., Saibene, M., Motta, G., Saliu, F., Catelani, T., et al. (2021). Microplastics from Miscellaneous Plastic Wastes: Physico-Chemical Characterization and Impact on Fish and Amphibian Development. Ecotoxicology Environ. Saf. 225, 112775.
Campanale, C., Massarelli, C., Savino, I., Locaputo, V., and Uricchio, V. F. (2020). A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health. Ijerph 17 (4), 1212.
Deng, Y., Zhang, Y., Lemos, B., and Ren, H. (2017). Tissue Accumulation of Microplastics in Mice and Biomarker Responses Suggest Widespread Health Risks of Exposure. Sci. Rep. 7 (1), 46687–46710.
Dimitriadi, A., Papaefthimiou, C., Genizegkini, E., Sampsonidis, I., Kalogiannis, S., Feidantsis, K., et al. (2021). Adverse Effects Polystyrene Microplastics Exert on Zebrafish Heart Molecular to Individual Level. J. Hazard. Mater. 416, 125969
Barboza, L. G. A., Vethaak, A. D., Lavorante, B. R. B. O., Lundeye, A.-K. & Guilhermino, L. Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 133, 336–348 (2018).
Mercogliano, R. et al. Occurrence of microplastics in commercial seafood under the perspective of the human food chain. A review. J. Agric. Food Chem.
Santana, M. F., Dawson, A. L., Motti, C. A., van Herwerden, L., Lefevre, C., and Kroon, F. J. (2021). Ingestion and Depuration of MPs by a Planktivorous Coral Reef Fish, Pomacentrus amboinensis. Front. Environ. Sci. 9, 79.
Yan, W., Hamid, N., Deng, S., Jia, P. P., and Pei, D. S. (2020). Individual and Combined Toxicogenetic Effects of MPs and Heavy Metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn) Perturb Gut Microbiota Homeostasis and Gonadal Development in marine Medaka (Oryzias Melastigma). J. Hazard. Mater. 397, 122795.
M. B. Tekman, B. A. Walther, C. Peter, L. Gutow, and M. Bergmann, 2022. Impacts of Plastic Pollution in the Oceans on Marine Species, Biodiversity and Ecosystems. Berlin: WWF Germany.
de Sá, L. C., Oliveira, M., Ribeiro, F., Rocha, T. L., and Futter, M. N. (2018). Studies of the Effects of Microplastics on Aquatic Organisms: What Do We Know and where Should We Focus Our Efforts in the Future? Sci. Total Environ. 645, 1029–1039.
Fonte, E., Ferreira, P., and Guilhermino, L. (2016). Temperature Rise and Microplastics Interact with the Toxicity of the Antibiotic Cefalexin to Juveniles of the Common Goby ( Pomatoschistus Microps ): Post-exposure Predatory Behaviour, Acetylcholinesterase Activity and Lipid Peroxidation. Aquat. Toxicol. 180, 173–185.
Guven, O., Bach, L., Munk, P., Dinh, K. V., Mariani, P., and Nielsen, T. G. (2018). Microplastic Does Not Magnify the Acute Effect of PAH Pyrene on Predatory Performance of a Tropical Fish ( Lates calcarifer ). Aquat. Toxicol. 198, 287–293
Auta, H. S., Emenike, C. U., and Fauziah, S. H. (2017). Distribution and Importance of Microplastics in the marine Environment: A Review of the Sources, Fate, Effects, and Potential Solutions. Environ. Int. 102, 165–176.
Gewert, B., Plassmann, M. M., and MacLeod, M. (2015). Pathways for Degradation of Plastic Polymers Floating in the marine Environment. Environ. Sci. Process. Impacts 17 (9), 1513–1521.