Microplastics in bloom-forming macroalgae: Distribution, characteristics and impacts

Zhihua Feng; Tao Zhang; Huahong Shi; Kunshan Gao; Wei Huang; Juntian Xu; Jiaxuan Wang; Rui Wang; Ji Li; Guang Gao

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122752

Microplastics in bloom-forming macroalgae: Distribution, characteristics and impacts

J Hazard Mater. 2020 Oct 5:397:122752. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122752. Epub 2020 Apr 19.

Authors

Zhihua Feng¹, Tao Zhang², Huahong Shi³, Kunshan Gao⁴, Wei Huang⁵, Juntian Xu², Jiaxuan Wang⁶, Rui Wang⁶, Ji Li⁷, Guang Gao⁸

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China. Electronic address: fengzhihua@jou.edu.cn.
² Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China.
³ State key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science & College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, China.
⁶ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China.
⁷ School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, China.
⁸ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science & College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China. Electronic address: guang.gao@xmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 32361243
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122752

Abstract

Macroalgal blooms and marine microplastics (MPs), as global challenges for oceans, are both showing a rising trend. However, none is known regarding the interaction of these two important issues. The Yellow Sea suffers the world's largest green tides and severe MPs pollution as well. Therefore, we tracked the trapping of MPs by drifting Ulva prolifera in the Yellow Sea during the green-tide period. The abundance of MPs in drifting U. prolifera was 595-3917 times higher than that in seawater and increased along the drifting path from south to north in the Yellow Sea. In addition, four mechanisms of trapping plastics (twining, attachment, embedment, and wrapping) on or in U. prolifera were unmasked, which explains why the plant has such strong capacity to trap MPs. Laboratory incubation experiments showed that MPs (0.025-25 mg L^-1) did not affect relative growth rate, effective photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII), or saturating irradiance of U. prolifera until reaching an extremely high concentration (100 mg L^-1), indicating a high tolerance to MPs. Due to tremendous biomass and coverage of the green tide and increased frequency as well, the plastics trap in drifting macroalgae can alter the spatio-temporal distribution of MPs in the oceans.

Keywords: Green tides; Macroalgae; Microplastics; Photosynthesis; Ulva; Yellow Sea.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Environmental Monitoring
Eutrophication
Microplastics
Oceans and Seas
Plastics
Seaweed*
Ulva*

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics