Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are the most remote regions on Earth, and their quite pristine environmental conditions are increasingly threatened by local scientific, tourism and fishing activities and long-range transport of persistent anthropogenic contaminants from lower latitudes. Plastic de...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:6c9935a751124e9589da245774a03b18 2023-12-31T10:01:20+01:00 Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems Roberto Bargagli Emilia Rota 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010162 https://doaj.org/article/6c9935a751124e9589da245774a03b18 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/162 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615 doi:10.3390/ani13010162 2076-2615 https://doaj.org/article/6c9935a751124e9589da245774a03b18 Animals, Vol 13, Iss 1, p 162 (2022) Antarctic marine biota anthropogenic contaminants climate change cumulative stress fish krill Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010162 2023-12-03T01:36:26Z Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are the most remote regions on Earth, and their quite pristine environmental conditions are increasingly threatened by local scientific, tourism and fishing activities and long-range transport of persistent anthropogenic contaminants from lower latitudes. Plastic debris has become one of the most pervasive and ubiquitous synthetic wastes in the global environment, and even at some coastal Antarctic sites it is the most common and enduring evidence of past and recent human activities. Despite the growing scientific interest in the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the Antarctic environment, the lack of standardized methodologies for the collection, analysis and assessment of sample contamination in the field and in the lab does not allow us to establish their bioavailability and potential impact. Overall, most of the Southern Ocean appears to be little-affected by plastic contamination, with the exception of some coastal marine ecosystems impacted by wastewater from scientific stations and tourist vessels or by local fishing activities. Microplastics have been detected in sediments, benthic organisms, Antarctic krill and fish, but there is no clear evidence of their transfer to seabirds and marine mammals. Therefore, we suggest directing future research towards standardization of methodologies, focusing attention on nanoplastics (which probably represent the greatest biological risks) and considering the interactions of MPs with macro- and microalgae (especially sea-ice algae) and the formation of epiplastic communities. In coastal ecosystems directly impacted by human activities, the combined exposure to paint chips, metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), contaminants of emerging interest (CEI) and pathogenic microorganisms represents a potential danger for marine organisms. Moreover, the Southern Ocean is very sensitive to water acidification and has shown a remarkable decrease in sea-ice formation in recent years. These climate-related stresses could reduce the ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Krill Antarctica ice algae Sea ice Southern Ocean Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Animals 13 1 162 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctic marine biota anthropogenic contaminants climate change cumulative stress fish krill Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 |
spellingShingle |
Antarctic marine biota anthropogenic contaminants climate change cumulative stress fish krill Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 Roberto Bargagli Emilia Rota Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems |
topic_facet |
Antarctic marine biota anthropogenic contaminants climate change cumulative stress fish krill Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 |
description |
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are the most remote regions on Earth, and their quite pristine environmental conditions are increasingly threatened by local scientific, tourism and fishing activities and long-range transport of persistent anthropogenic contaminants from lower latitudes. Plastic debris has become one of the most pervasive and ubiquitous synthetic wastes in the global environment, and even at some coastal Antarctic sites it is the most common and enduring evidence of past and recent human activities. Despite the growing scientific interest in the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in the Antarctic environment, the lack of standardized methodologies for the collection, analysis and assessment of sample contamination in the field and in the lab does not allow us to establish their bioavailability and potential impact. Overall, most of the Southern Ocean appears to be little-affected by plastic contamination, with the exception of some coastal marine ecosystems impacted by wastewater from scientific stations and tourist vessels or by local fishing activities. Microplastics have been detected in sediments, benthic organisms, Antarctic krill and fish, but there is no clear evidence of their transfer to seabirds and marine mammals. Therefore, we suggest directing future research towards standardization of methodologies, focusing attention on nanoplastics (which probably represent the greatest biological risks) and considering the interactions of MPs with macro- and microalgae (especially sea-ice algae) and the formation of epiplastic communities. In coastal ecosystems directly impacted by human activities, the combined exposure to paint chips, metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), contaminants of emerging interest (CEI) and pathogenic microorganisms represents a potential danger for marine organisms. Moreover, the Southern Ocean is very sensitive to water acidification and has shown a remarkable decrease in sea-ice formation in recent years. These climate-related stresses could reduce the ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Roberto Bargagli Emilia Rota |
author_facet |
Roberto Bargagli Emilia Rota |
author_sort |
Roberto Bargagli |
title |
Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems |
title_short |
Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems |
title_full |
Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems |
title_fullStr |
Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microplastic Interactions and Possible Combined Biological Effects in Antarctic Marine Ecosystems |
title_sort |
microplastic interactions and possible combined biological effects in antarctic marine ecosystems |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010162 https://doaj.org/article/6c9935a751124e9589da245774a03b18 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Krill Antarctica ice algae Sea ice Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Krill Antarctica ice algae Sea ice Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Animals, Vol 13, Iss 1, p 162 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/162 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615 doi:10.3390/ani13010162 2076-2615 https://doaj.org/article/6c9935a751124e9589da245774a03b18 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010162 |
container_title |
Animals |
container_volume |
13 |
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1 |
container_start_page |
162 |
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1786799008329498624 |