Effects of microplastics on marine ecosystems

Camilla C. CartenyEPHEMARE project, University

of Antwerp

Plastic litter: size DOES matter

Macro-litter Micro-litter Nano-litter

Organismal level Organism/tissue level Cellular level

Macro-litter

External trauma Internal trauma

• Entanglement• Constriction

• Suffocation• Intestinal occlusion

Not all that glitters is gold (or food)

Micro-litter

Nutrient loss Stress response Other organismal responses

Toxicity of additives Vectors of pollutants Vectors of pathogens

Nutrient lossIngestion of plastic

particles

Lack of appropriate nutrient intake

Impaired/negative growthLow metabolism

Majority of food intake is plastics rather than food

Alteration of energy balance

Stress responseOxidative stress

Antioxidant enzymes

Reactive oxygen species

• Enzymatic activity• Gene expression

➢ Acute exposure: increase in antioxidant defences

➢ Chronic exposure: decrease in antioxidant defences

Cellular structure/DNA damage

Other responses

Neurotoxicity Behaviour

?

➢ Fish confuse microplastics for food

➢ Hunting ability decreases

➢ Perhaps they develop a taste for it?

Acetylcholine

coline

Acetylcholinesterase

acetate

➢ Microplastics impair the activity of

the acetylcholinesterase

➢ Possible implications for behaviour?

Other responses

Swimming Reproduction

➢ Microplastics decrease swimming

ability

➢ Unclear mechanism of action

➢ Mechanistic impediment?

➢ Microplastics diminish reproduction

success

➢ Different energy allocation?

Toxicity of additives

Bisphenol A

Phthalates

Plasticisers, dyes, flame retardants, UV filters….

Endocrine disruptor

Endocrine disruptors, developmental toxins

• Impaired reproduction• Delayed or stunted

development

Extinction of endangered species

Vectors of pollutants

Particles are ingested Digestive process Pollutants are accumulated in tissues

Parental transfer

Compromised storage

Fat

• Hydrocarbons• Pesticides• Polychlorobiphenyls• Perfluorinated compounds• Flame retardants

Vectors of pathogens

“plastisphere”Bacteria

Fungi

Viruses

Aeromonas salmonicida

Trophic transfer

biomagnification

An uncharted world: nano-litter

➢ Difficult detection and handling➢ Uncertainty over environmental levels➢ Nanoplastics can penetrate inside membranes and cells

Smaller size = higher toxicity

Micro vs. Nano

Similar effects on marine biota

but

Thank you for your attention

camilla.catarcicarteny@uantwerpen.be

ReferencesBatel Annika, Linti Frederic, Scherer Martina, Erdinger Lothar, and Braunbeck Thomas. 2016. “Transfer of Benzo[a]pyrene from Microplastics to Artemia Nauplii and Further to Zebrafish via a Trophic Food Web Experiment: CYP1A Induction and Visual Tracking of Persistent Organic Pollutants.” Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 35 (7): 1656–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.3361.Besseling, Ellen, Anna Wegner, Edwin M. Foekema, Martine J. van den Heuvel-Greve, and Albert A. Koelmans. 2013. “Effects of Microplastic on Fitness and PCB Bioaccumulation by the Lugworm ArenicolaMarina (L.).” Environmental Science & Technology 47 (1): 593–600. https://doi.org/10.1021/es302763x.Chae, Yooeun, and Youn-Joo An. 2017. “Effects of Micro- and Nanoplastics on Aquatic Ecosystems: Current Research Trends and Perspectives.” Marine Pollution Bulletin, Special Issue: Hong Kong Conference 2016, 124 (2): 624–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.070.Cole, Matthew, and Tamara S. Galloway. 2015. “Ingestion of Nanoplastics and Microplastics by Pacific Oyster Larvae.” Environmental Science & Technology 49 (24): 14625–32. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b04099.Eriksen, Marcus, Sherri Mason, Stiv Wilson, Carolyn Box, Ann Zellers, William Edwards, Hannah Farley, and Stephen Amato. 2013. “Microplastic Pollution in the Surface Waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes.” Marine Pollution Bulletin 77 (1): 177–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.10.007.Espinosa, Cristóbal, Alberto Cuesta, and María Ángeles Esteban. 2017. “Effects of Dietary Polyvinylchloride Microparticles on General Health, Immune Status and Expression of Several Genes Related to Stress in Gilthead Seabream (Sparus Aurata L.).” Fish & Shellfish Immunology 68 (September): 251–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2017.07.006.Galloway, Tamara S., and Ceri N. Lewis. 2016. “Marine Microplastics Spell Big Problems for Future Generations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 (9): 2331–33. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1600715113.Gambardella, Chiara, Silvia Morgana, Sara Ferrando, Mattia Bramini, Veronica Piazza, Elisa Costa, Francesca Garaventa, and Marco Faimali. 2017. “Effects of Polystyrene Microbeads in Marine Planktonic Crustaceans.” Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 145 (November): 250–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.07.036.Green, Dannielle Senga, Bas Boots, Julia Sigwart, Shan Jiang, and Carlos Rocha. 2016. “Effects of Conventional and Biodegradable Microplastics on a Marine Ecosystem Engineer (Arenicola Marina) and Sediment Nutrient Cycling.” Environmental Pollution 208, Part B: 426–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2015.10.010.Hermabessiere, Ludovic, Alexandre Dehaut, Ika Paul-Pont, Camille Lacroix, Ronan Jezequel, Philippe Soudant, and Guillaume Duflos. 2017. “Occurrence and Effects of Plastic Additives on Marine Environments and Organisms: A Review.” Chemosphere 182 (September): 781–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.05.096.Kettner Marie Therese, Rojas‐Jimenez Keilor, Oberbeckmann Sonja, Labrenz Matthias, and Grossart Hans‐Peter. 2017. “Microplastics Alter Composition of Fungal Communities in Aquatic Ecosystems.” Environmental Microbiology 19 (11): 4447–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13891.Pittura, Lucia, Carlo G. Avio, Maria E. Giuliani, Giuseppe d’Errico, Steffen H. Keiter, Bettie Cormier, Stefania Gorbi, and Francesco Regoli. 2018. “Microplastics as Vehicles of Environmental PAHs to Marine Organisms: Combined Chemical and Physical Hazards to the Mediterranean Mussels, Mytilus Galloprovincialis.” Frontiers in Marine Science 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00103.Sá, Luís Carlos de, Luís G. Luís, and Lúcia Guilhermino. 2015. “Effects of Microplastics on Juveniles of the Common Goby (Pomatoschistus Microps): Confusion with Prey, Reduction of the Predatory Performance and Efficiency, and Possible Influence of Developmental Conditions.” Environmental Pollution 196: 359–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2014.10.026.Setälä, Outi, Vivi Fleming-Lehtinen, and Maiju Lehtiniemi. 2014. “Ingestion and Transfer of Microplastics in the Planktonic Food Web.” Environmental Pollution 185 (Supplement C): 77–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.10.013.Viršek, Manca Kovač, Marija Nika Lovšin, Špela Koren, Andrej Kržan, and Monika Peterlin. 2017. “Microplastics as a Vector for the Transport of the Bacterial Fish Pathogen Species Aeromonas Salmonicida.” Marine Pollution Bulletin 125 (1): 301–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.08.024.Watts, Andrew J. R., Mauricio A. Urbina, Shauna Corr, Ceri Lewis, and Tamara S. Galloway. 2015. “Ingestion of Plastic Microfibers by the Crab Carcinus Maenas and Its Effect on Food Consumption and Energy Balance.” Environmental Science & Technology 49 (24): 14597–604. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b04026.