Microplastics disturb the anthozoan-algae symbiotic relationship. (October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Okubo, Nami; Takahashi, Shunichi; Nakano, Yoshikatsu
• Is Part Of: Marine pollution bulletin. Volume 135(2018)
• Page Start: 83
• Page End: 89
• Publication Date: 2018-10
• Subjects: Microplastics -- Sea anemone -- Coral -- Symbiodinium -- Symbiosis; Marine pollution -- Periodicals; Marine Biology -- Periodicals; Water Pollution -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Périodiques; Publications périodiques; Pollution des mers; Lutte antipollution; Electronic journals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.016
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-326X

Abstract

Abstract: World production of plastic has dramatically increased from the 1950's and now it reaches approximately 311 million tons per year. The resulting accumulation of small plastic detritus less than 5 mm in size, termed "microplastics", has started threatening the life cycles of marine organisms. Here we show the first evidence that microplastics disturb the initiation of symbiotic relationships in anthozoan-algae symbiosis. We found in both the aposymbiotic sea-anemone Aiptasia sp. and the coral Favites chinensis that the infectivity of symbiotic algae into the host is severely suppressed by microspheres fed either directly or indirectly through microsphere-fed Artemia sp. Similar trends were seen when microplastics collected from commercial facewash were used instead of microspheres. Therefore, ongoing accumulation of microplastics in the ocean might disturb the healthy anthozoan-algae symbiotic relationships, which are cornerstones of the biologically enriched coral reef ecosystem. Graphical abstract: Highlights: Microplastics disturb the initiation of symbiotic relationships in anthozoan-algae symbiosis. Fluorescent microspheres used instead of microplastics were easily taken up through the food chain. Smaller microspheres were more easily incorporated into the endodermal cells than larger ones. Large microspheres were quickly expelled whereas small ones remained longer in the cells. Microplastics in commercial facewash severely suppressed Symbiodinium infection into the host.