Preferential grazing and repackaging of small polyethylene microplastic particles (≤ 5 μm) by the ciliate Sterkiella sp
| Autor: | Peter W. Swarzenski, J.R. Bermúdez, Alison Taylor, F. Oberhänsli, Marc Metian |
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| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Microplastics Aquatic Science Oceanography 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Zooplankton Isochrysis galbana chemistry.chemical_compound Algae Grazing Animals Food science Ciliate biology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology fungi General Medicine Polyethylene biology.organism_classification Pollution Food web chemistry Plastics Water Pollutants Chemical |
| Zdroj: | Marine environmental research. 166 |
| ISSN: | 1879-0291 |
| Popis: | Microplastic (MP) particles are pollutants of global concern and are ubiquitously distributed in the ocean by physical and biological processes. It has been shown that zooplankton can ingest MP yet the interaction between ciliates and MP is still poorly understood. The discrimination and preferential uptake of MP rather than algal prey by ciliates was assessed in this study. The ciliate Sterkiella sp. was fed a diet that consisted of only Isochrysis galbana or a mixture of the same algae and similarly sized polyethylene beads in a 1:3 ratio. Significant, preferential MP grazing was observed in the Plastic-Algae treatment, which is the first reported evidence of proto-zooplankton preferentially ingesting MP over algal food. The mixed treatment contained fecal pellets with embedded MP. Preferential uptake of MP suggests that Sterkiella sp. is capable of ingesting and then "repackaging" MP that would otherwise be too small for larger taxa. This process would thus offer a mechanism for the reintroduction of MP into different compartments of the marine food web. As a consequence, it is necessary to account for small-sized MP (5 μm) particles, that may have additional and yet unknown, impacts on marine food webs. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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