The sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa does not reduce the size of microplastics but enhances their resuspension in the water column

Bulleri, Fabio; Ravaglioli, Chiara; Anselmi, Serena; Renzi, Monia

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146650

Cited by 28 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…There is also some evidence of internalisation of MNPs directly from the water column [ 134 ]. The concentration of MNPs within pseudofaeces are found to be higher than those in the surrounding sediments, suggesting that preferential selection occurs [ 75 , 135 , 136 ]. To date, few studies have examined the impacts of MNPs on sea cucumbers, and results are variable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The impacts of this, and their role in the effects of MNPs have not yet been elucidated. Sea cucumbers are also suggested to play a key role in maintaining the bioavailabiliy of MPs [ 136 ] within the system through the resuspension of MNPs from the sediments in pseudofaeces, preventing them from entering deeper sediments that act as a sink for MNPs [ 69 ]. Sea urchins have also recently become a focus for the impacts of MNPs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Microplastics: impacts on corals and other reef organisms

Pantos

2022

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plastic pollution in a growing problem globally. In addition to the continuous flow of plastic particles to the environment from direct sources, and through the natural wear and tear of items, the plastics that are already there have the potential to breakdown further and therefore provide an immense source of plastic particles. With the continued rise in levels of plastic production, and consequently increasing levels entering our marine environments it is imperative that we understand its impacts. There is evidence microplastic and nanoplastic (MNP) pose a serious threat to all the world's marine ecosystems and biota, across all taxa and trophic levels, having individual- to ecosystem-level impacts, although these impacts are not fully understood. Microplastics (MPs; 0.1–5 mm) have been consistently found associated with the biota, water and sediments of all coral reefs studied, but due to limitations in the current techniques, a knowledge gap exists for the level of nanoplastic (NP; <1 µm). This is of particular concern as it is this size fraction that is thought to pose the greatest risk due to their ability to translocate into different organs and across cell membranes. Furthermore, few studies have examined the interactions of MNP exposure and other anthropogenic stressors such as ocean acidification and rising temperature. To support the decision-making required to protect these ecosystems, an advancement in standardised methods for the assessment of both MP and NPs is essential. This knowledge, and that of predicted levels can then be used to determine potential impacts more accurately.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics: impacts on corals and other reef organisms

Pantos

2022

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The transit through the digestive tract could allow the absorption of plastic leachates and adhered contaminants, as well as reduce the size of plastic particles. In holothurians, plastic items ingested with sand grains could be ground during their passage through the guts [ 39 ]. The presence of microplastics has been documented in many holothurians [ 39 , 40 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Human Activity on Markers of Oxidative Stress in the Intestine of Holothuria tubulosa, with Special Reference to the Presence of Microplastics

Lombardo

Solomando

Cohen-Sánchez

et al. 2022

IJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pollution in the seas and oceans is a global problem, which highlights emerging pollutants and plastics, specifically microplastics (MPs), which are tiny (1 μm to 5 mm) ubiquitous plastic particles present in marine environments that can be ingested by a wide range of organisms. Holothurians are benthic organisms that feed on sediment; therefore, they can be exposed to contaminants present in the particles they ingest. The objective was to evaluate the effects of human activity on Holothuria tubulosa through the study of biomarkers. Specimens were collected in three different areas throughout the island of Eivissa, Spain: (1) a highly urbanized area, with tourist uses and a marina; (2) an urbanized area close to the mouth of a torrent; (3) an area devoid of human activity and considered clean. The results showed a higher presence of microplastics (MPs) in the sediments from the highly urbanized area in relation to the other two areas studied. Similarly, a higher number of MPs were observed in the digestive tract of H. tubulosa from the most affected area, decreasing with the degree of anthropic influence. Both in the sediment and in the holothurians, fibers predominated with more than 75% of the items. In the three areas, mesoplastics were analyzed by means of FTIR, showing that the main polymer was polypropylene (27%) followed by low-density polyethylene (17%) and polystyrene (16%). Regarding the biomarkers of oxidative stress, the intestine of H. tubulosa from the most impacted areas showed higher catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GRd), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels compared to the control area. The intermediate area only presented significant differences in GRd and GST with respect to the clean area. The activities of acetylcholinesterase and the levels and malondialdehyde presented similar values in all areas. In conclusion, human activity evaluated with the presence of MPs induced an antioxidant response in H. tubulosa, although without evidence of oxidative damage or neurotoxicity. H. tubulosa, due to its benthic animal characteristics and easy handling, can be a useful species for monitoring purposes.

show abstract

“…Microplastics have been detected in a wide variety of foods and beverages ( Diaz-Basantes et al, 2020 ; Van Raamsdonk et al, 2020 ; Weber et al, 2021 ) and nearly every ecosystem in the world ( Cordova et al, 2022 ; Ding et al, 2019 ; He et al, 2021 ; Isobe et al, 2021 ; Jiao et al, 2022 ; Qi et al, 2022 ; Simon-Sánchez et al, 2019 ); as a result, microplastics have been found in animals ( Iwalaye et al, 2020 ; Mohsen et al, 2019 ; Naidoo et al, 2020 ; Walkinshaw et al, 2020 ), plants ( Huang et al, 2022 ; Yin et al, 2021 ; Yu et al, 2021 ), and humans ( Ragusa et al, 2021 ; Schwabl et al, 2019 ). Although microplastics have distinct physical properties ( Miller et al, 2021 ), their widespread existence may pose a threat to organisms through a variety of routes, including inhalation ( Amato-Lourenço et al, 2020 ; Baensch-Baltruschat et al, 2020 ), ingestion ( Bulleri et al, 2021 ; Naidoo et al, 2020 ), bioaccumulation ( Sfriso et al, 2020 ; Van Raamsdonk et al, 2020 ), and the process of biomagnification ( Krause et al, 2021 ; Saley et al, 2019 ; Walkinshaw et al, 2020 ). These tiny plastic particles can adsorb other toxic contaminants ( Khalid et al, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2022 ) and attachment media for alien species and pathogens ( Feng et al, 2020 ; Naik et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%