Differences in microplastic abundances within demersal communities highlight the importance of an ecosystem-based approach to microplastic monitoring

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Plastic pollution is prevalent in all habitats and microplastic ingestion has been recorded in several different species examined to date. However, most studies have focused solely on commercial species. This study investigates microplastics (MPs) by assessing the levels present in a mixed demersal trawl at two sites in a coastal embayment. MPs were recovered from species' gastrointestinal tracts and polymers identified with μFTIR spectroscopic analysis. Particles recovered comprised 20% natural fibres. The majority of MPs were identified as PE, PVDF, and PETE. Results show an average MP range of 0.11–4.67 MPs individual−1. Fluctuating trendlines for MPs within species suggest that their bioavailability is influenced by several factors. Individual species show significant differences in ingested MP between trawls; however, when the entire trawl community is assessed there is no significant difference between sites. These results suggest that future studies should follow an ecosystem-based approach to monitor MPs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number111644
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume160
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2020

Keywords

  • Coastal
  • FTIR
  • Fish
  • Ireland
  • Polymer
  • Trawl

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Differences in microplastic abundances within demersal communities highlight the importance of an ecosystem-based approach to microplastic monitoring'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this