The present review provides detailed information on the adverse effects of MPs on wild marine organisms, including tissue damage, fish condition, oxidative stress, immune toxicity, and genotoxicity. ...A bibliometric analysis was carried out on CiteSpace (version 6.1.R3) (Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA) to verify how many papers studied the effects on wild marine species. The results showed a total of 395 articles, but only 22 really presented data on the effects or impacts on marine biota, and of these, only 12 articles highlighted negative effects. This review shows that the observed effects in wild organisms were less severe and milder than those found in the experimental conditions. The knowledge of negative effects caused by direct ingestion of microplastics in wild animals is still limited; more efforts are necessary to fully understand the role of MPs and the adverse effects on wild marine organisms, the ecosystem, and human health.
Plastic litter is a global threat affecting all marine ecosystems. Utilizing digital media platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram we assessed the detrimental effects of marine plastic litter ...on the biodiversity of the Italian marine ecosystem. We noted that marine plastic litter had adverse consequences on marine reptiles, mammals, sea birds, fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, including endangered and vulnerable marine species. The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) was the most recorded species found entangled in plastic litter. Our investigation revealed that abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear are the primary contributors to the entanglement of numerous marine species. The current study represents a preliminary step towards establishing databases that document records of entanglement, which may be useful in adopting new conservation measures in the Mediterranean geographical subareas. Our results emphasize the critical need for collaborative efforts among all stakeholders and policymakers to effectively manage marine plastic litter.
Plastic pollution is increasing dramatically worldwide, causing adverse effects on a wide variety of marine organisms at all trophic levels. As predators, sharks play a key role in marine ecosystems ...and they could especially be threatened by the ingestion of microplastics. This study contributes to expand the existing data on the MPs ingestion by a Mediterranean elasmobranch species, Scyliorhinus canicula, adding new information on the potential impact that this class of contaminants can have on the metabolism of this ecologically relevant species. The present research is aimed: i) to assess if the ingestion of MPs in S. canicula is related to sex, size and depth of catch; ii) to evaluate the effect of MPs on fish body condition; iii) to evaluate if the ingested MPs influence the amino acid and fatty acid composition of eye and liver.
A total of 61 specimens of S. canicula were analysed. Forty-nine individuals (80.3 %) had ingested plastic items. Totally, 147 plastic elements were found, mainly belonging to small MPs (49 %), and large MPs (46 %), mostly represented by fibers (84 %). The predominant colour was black. No differences were found between sex and size. A difference in the number of items/specimens related to the deep, highest between 50 and 100 m (4.4), while the lowest between 101 and 500 m (2.1) was found. The condition factor (Kn) value was equal to 1.00 highlighting the wellness of the fish. Arginine (20.1 %), Glutamate (17.4), Phenylalanine (15.7 %), Proline (15.6 %) and were the most abundant amino acids in the eyes of S. canicula. The relative fatty acid composition of the livers was dominated by fatty acids SA (30.2 %) (SFA), CA (29.9 %) (SFA) and OA (22.4 %) (MUFA). This paper reports a study on the relationship between amino acids and fatty acids composition and ingested MPs, highlighting that no significant effects were found.
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•MPs were found in Scyliorhinus canicula specimens from the South of Sicily.•The most of them were black fibers.•No relationship between amino acids and fatty acids levels and ingested MPs were found.
Anthropogenic microparticles (AMs) were found for the first time in specimens of Trematomus bernacchii collected in 1998 in the Ross Sea (Antarctica) and stored in the Antarctic Environmental ...Specimen Bank. Most of the identified AMs were fibers of natural and synthetic origin. The natural AMs were cellulosic, the synthetic ones were polyester, polypropylene, polypropylene/polyester, and cellulose acetate. The presence of dyes in the natural AMs indicates their anthropogenic origin. Five industrial dyes were identified by Raman spectroscopy with Indigo occurring in most of them (55%). Our research not only adds further data to the ongoing knowledge of pollution levels in the Antarctic ecosystem, it provides an interesting snapshot of the past, highlighting that microplastics and anthropogenic fiber pollution had already entered the Antarctic marine food web at the end of the '90 s. These findings therefore establish the foundations for understand the changes in marine litter pollution over time.
Previous studies on fish and marine mammals support the hypothesis that marine species harbor antibiotic resistance and therefore may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistance genetic ...determinants. The aim of this study was to assess the resistance to antimicrobial agents of Gram negative strains isolated from loggerhead sea turtles (Carettacaretta). Oral and cloacal swabs from 19 live-stranded loggerhead sea turtles, with hooks fixed into the gut, were analyzed. The antimicrobial resistance of the isolates to 31 antibiotics was assessed using the disk-diffusion method. Conventional biochemical tests identified Citrobacter spp., Proteus spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia spp., Providencia spp., Morganella spp., Pantoea spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Shewanella spp. Highest prevalences of resistance was detected to carbenicillin (100%), cephalothin (92.6%), oxytetracycline (81.3%) and amoxicillin (77.8%). The isolates showing resistance to the widest range of antibiotics were identified as Citrobacterfreundii, Proteusvulgaris, Providenciarettgeri and Pseudomonasaeruginosa. In this study, antibiotic resistant bacteria reflect marine contamination by polluted effluents and C.caretta is considered a bioindicator which can be used as a monitor for pollution.
Despite the widespread presence of anthropogenic microparticles (AMs) in beach sediments, research on their occurrence on Moroccan Mediterranean beaches is still limited. This study is the first ...report on AM pollution in four sandy beaches along the Tetouan coast (Morocco Mediterranean). The findings reveal an average AM concentration of 483.12 ± 157.04 AMs/kg of beach sediment. The most common AM types were fibers (75.54%) and fragments (24.06%). AMs were predominantly black, red, and blue, measuring between 0.1 and 1 mm. The evaluation of the anthropogenic microparticles pollution index (AMPI) and the coefficient of anthropogenic microparticles impact (CAMI) for the study area indicated a “very high abundance” of AMs and an “extreme” level of impact. The polymers identified in these areas included PS, PE, PP, and PET. Tourism, fishing, domestic activities, and poor solid waste management practices are the primary sources of AM pollution in this region. To protect Moroccan beaches, the implementation of a consistent plastic waste management strategy is recommended.
Polystyrene (PS) is the most widely used plastic polymer. It is mainly used to produce disposable products. Due to its resistance to degradation, PS can remain in the environment for a long time. Its ...mechanical, physical and biological actions determine the release of smaller fragments, which are able to penetrate organisms and accumulate in target organs. Fertilized Danio rerio eggs were exposed to concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/L of fluorescent, amino-modified polystyrene nanoplastics (nPS-NH2) with diameters of 100 and 50 nm for 96h, according to OECD guidelines (2013). Uptake, biodistribution, toxicity, oxidative stress and apoptosis were evaluated; moreover, we carried out a simulation to study the interactions between nPS-NH2 and defined regions of three receptors: STRA6, Adgrg6 and CNTN4/APLP2. We demonstrated that after being internalized, nPS-NH2 could reach the head and bioaccumulate, especially in the eyes. Moreover, they could lead to oxidative stress and apoptosis in the several regions where they bioaccumulated due to their interaction with receptors. This study confirmed the danger of nanoplastic wastes released in the environment.
This study aims to assess the litter ingestion in some demersal elasmobranchs, combining a classical gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) analysis with a procedure methodology to reduce airborne fibres ...contamination. In order to prevent the overestimation of litter ingestion, we applied severe mitigation measures to avoid airborne contamination during the analyses, integrating a new approach for the correction of estimates of fibres abundance using control procedure. In this study, we assessed the anthropogenic litter ingestion in four elasmobranch species from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea: Scyliorhinus canicula (n= 27), Etmopterus spinax (n= 16), Galeus melastomus (n= 12) and Raja clavata (n= 6). The gastro-intestinal tract of each specimen was analysed by visual sorting and the polymers identified by FT-IR spectroscopy technique. Overall, 19 litter particles were found in the gastro-intestinal tract of 13 demersal elasmobranchs (%O= 21) and for the first time, evidence of litter ingestion by R. clavata in Mediterranean waters was also reported. In G. melastomus and R. clavata all anthropogenic particles were plastics, whereas in S. canicula other litter categories were also found. No litter ingestion was instead observed in E. spinax. More than 50% of litter particles belonged to microlitter category (< 5 mm). Polyamide was the only polymer typology found in all examined species. We described the procedures to control the airborne contamination applied at each step of laboratory analysis and, thanks to the application of our control method, it was possible to exclude the 95% of fibres found in samples from the assessment. Moreover, we compared fibres abundances observed in samples and controls. This study, combining an approach for minimizing the bias associated to airborne fibre contamination, provided a reliable assessment of marine litter ingestion in demersal elasmobranchs.
A sample of 67 European hake Merluccius merluccius were examined to highlight the ingestion of microplastics in the Tyrrhenian Sea. In all samples, 31 black fibres were found in the stomach contents ...corresponding to 46.3% of the specimens. The data presented here could be important for the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive in Mediterranean waters.
For decades, wildlife has been observed getting entangled in and affected by plastic litter. Despite the increasing annual accumulation of plastic waste in the Indian environment and its potential ...threat to marine biodiversity, the specific impacts of this litter often go unmeasured in India. Based on a search of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google), we evaluated the negative impacts of abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) on Indian biodiversity. Among the cases posted detailing interaction with anthropogenic litter, 35 species were affected with 144 individuals reported. Of the species entangled in this study, 13 are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered according to the IUCN. Sea turtles, fish and marine mammals were the most reported groups entangled in ALDFG. We also identified birds, land mammals (the Asian elephant), reptiles and invertebrates (crustaceans and sponges). These findings reveal that the majority of entangling litter impacting animals in India is from fishing activity. Five types of materials (fishing nets, rope, monofilament lines, trap and fish hook) accounted for the most (98 %) of entanglements. This study shows that ALDFG are not only a problem for marine species, but also for freshwater species. The presence of ALDFG in aquatic and marine environments contributes to the extinction risk of wildlife in India, which are already threatened by other human activities. There is therefore an urgent necessity to continue building management programs and develop government policies which attempt to protect the aquatic environment from ALDFG.
•ALDFG is a major threat to Indian wildlife.•A total of 35 animals are documented to have interacted with the ghost gear.•These included cases of entanglement of 13 endangered species.•Sea turtles and marine mammals are more affected by entanglements.
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