Benthic fauna contribute to microplastic sequestration in coastal sediments

JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

卷:415

Article

Coppock, Rachel L.^1,2  Lindeque, Penelope K.¹  Cole, Matthew¹  Galloway, Tamara S.²  Nakki, Pinja^3,4  Birgani, Hannah⁵  Richards, Saskiya¹  Queiros, Ana M.¹ 

[1] Plymouth Marine Lab, Prospect Pl, Plymouth PL1 3DH, Devon, England

[2] Univ Exeter, Coll Life & Environm Sci Biosci, Geoffrey Pope Bldg,Stocker Rd, Exeter EX4 4QD, Devon, England

[3] Finnish Environm Inst, Marine Res Ctr, Latokartanonkaari 11, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland

[4] Univ Helsinki, Tvarminne Zool Stn, JA Palmenin Tie 260, FI-10900 Hango, Finland

[5] Univ West England, Dept Hlth & Appl Sci, Frenchay Campus,Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, Avon, England

关键词: Marine pollution;    Benthos;    Bioturbation;    Burial;    Microplastic fate;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125583

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Microplastics are ubiquitous in the marine environment, however, the mechanisms governing their uptake by, and burial within, seabed habitats are poorly understood. In this study, microplastic burial and its impact on fauna-mediated sedimentary processes was quantified at three coastal sites, and the potential contribution of burrowing faunal communities to this process assessed via functional trait diversity analysis of field data. In addition, laboratory exposures were used to assess whether sediment-processing undertaken by the brittlestar Amphiura filiformis, a key species in the sampled area, could explain the burial of microplastic fibres. Field observations confirmed broad-scale burial of microplastics across the coastal seabed, consistent across sites and seasons, with microplastic sequestration linked to benthic-pelagic exchange pathways, driven by burrowing fauna. Brittlestars were observed to bury and line their burrow walls with microfibres during experiments, and their burial activity was also modified following exposure to nylon fibres, relative to controls. Collectively, these results indicate that biodiverse and functionally important seabed habitats act as microplastic sinks, with burrowing fauna contributing to this process via well-known benthic-pelagic pathways, the rates of which are modified by plastic exposure.

【 授权许可】

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