Macrophytes: A Temporary Sink for Microplastics in Transitional Water Systems

Water

Cristina Munari¹  Andrea Augusto Sfriso¹  Michele Mistri¹  Abdul-Salam Juhmani²  Yari Tomio²  Adriano Sfriso² 

[1] Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 17, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino, 155, 30172 Venezia-Mestre, Italy;

关键词: microplastics;    macroalgae;    seagrasses;    Nile red;    EPS;   

DOI  :  10.3390/w13213032

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Marine macrophytes are hypothesized to be a major temporary sink for microplastics. In this study, microplastic contamination was investigated in 15 macroalgal species and one seagrass from different sites in two lagoons of the northern Adriatic Sea: the Goro lagoon and the Venice lagoon. A high percentage (94%) of the macrophyte samples contained microplastics, ranging from 0.16 to 330 items g⁻¹ fw, with the prevalent size in the range 30–90 µm and an average contamination per unit of fresh weight of 14 items g⁻¹ fw. Microplastic contamination displayed a site-specific, rather than a species-specific, pattern of accumulation. In addition, exopolysaccharides (EPS) displayed a significant positive correlation with the microplastics ononcontamination on macrophytes acting as glue for the plastic particles available in the water column.

【 授权许可】

Unknown