Accumulation and re-distribution of microplastics via aquatic plants and macroalgae - A review of field studies

Sirui Huang; Ruitong Jiang; Nicholas J Craig; Hua Deng; Wenhui He; Juan-Ying Li; Lei Su

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105951

Accumulation and re-distribution of microplastics via aquatic plants and macroalgae - A review of field studies

Mar Environ Res. 2023 May:187:105951. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105951. Epub 2023 Mar 18.

Authors

Sirui Huang¹, Ruitong Jiang², Nicholas J Craig³, Hua Deng⁴, Wenhui He⁵, Juan-Ying Li⁵, Lei Su⁶

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
² Shanghai Engineering Research Center of River and Lake Biochain Construction and Resource Utilization, Shanghai, 201702, China.
³ School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200142, China.
⁵ College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of River and Lake Biochain Construction and Resource Utilization, Shanghai, 201702, China.
⁶ College of Marine Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of River and Lake Biochain Construction and Resource Utilization, Shanghai, 201702, China. Electronic address: lsu@shou.edu.cn.

PMID: 36958953
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105951

Abstract

The aquatic plants and macroalgae are primary producers with major roles regarding the maintenance of ecosystems but their interaction with microplastics (MPs) has received less attention than animals. We summarize the methodologies used, the MPs abundances and their characteristics across the literature on MPs pollution in aquatic plants and macroalgae. The sampling and quantification of MPs still lacks consistency between studies, which increased the uncertainty in cross-comparisons. The abundance of MPs varied by orders of magnitude between species and were mostly fibers and polymers with large degrees of production and applications. Filamentous species contained more MPs than others. The average ratio of MPs between vegetated and unvegetated sites reached 3:1. The average ratio of MPs between the biotic and abiotic fractions reached 2193:1, suggesting a high level of retention in fields. Our findings supported that aquatic plants and macroalgae are critical in the plastic flux within the marine environments.

Keywords: Aquatic plant; Beaches; Bioaccumulation; Biomonitoring; Enrichment; Macroalgae; Microplastic; Transportation.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Microplastics
Plastics
Seaweed*
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical