Geophagy and microplastic ingestion

Microplastic ingestion by scleractinian corals

Microplastics (i.e. plastic fragments <5 mm in diameter) are a widespread form of contamination in marine ecosystems around the globe (Moore 2008). Coastal ecosystems, such as inshore coral reefs, are likely to be particularly heavily impacted by microplastics because these contaminants often enter the marine environment through fragmentation of larger plastic items from terrestrial sources (Th...

Ingestion of microplastic has limited impact on a marine larva.

There is increasing concern about the impacts of microplastics (<1 mm) on marine biota. Microplastics may be mistaken for food items and ingested by a wide variety of organisms. While the effects of ingesting microplastic have been explored for some adult organisms, there is poor understanding of the effects of microplastic ingestion on marine larvae. Here, we investigated the ingestion of poly...

Microplastic ingestion decreases energy reserves in marine worms

The indiscriminate disposal of plastic to the environment is of concern. Microscopic plastic litter (<5 mm diameter; 'microplastic') is increasing in abundance in the marine environment, originating from the fragmentation of plastic items and from industry and personal-care products [1]. On highly impacted beaches, microplastic concentrations (<1mm) can reach 3% by weight, presenting a global c...

Microplastic in Danish wastewater

High levels of microplastic ingestion by the semipelagic fish bogue Boops boops (L.) around the Balearic Islands.

For the first time this study reports on the presence of microplastics (1 nm to <5 mm) in the gastrointestinal tracts of small semipelagic fish (Boops boops) in the Balearic Islands (Mediterranean Sea) from March to May 2014. The results show microplastic ingestion in 68% of full stomach samples with an average of 3.75 items per fish. Only filament type microplastics were observed in B. boops f...