Ingestion of plastic litter by the sandy anemone Bunodactis reynaudi. (December 2020)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Ingestion of plastic litter by the sandy anemone Bunodactis reynaudi. (December 2020)
- Main Title:
- Ingestion of plastic litter by the sandy anemone Bunodactis reynaudi
- Authors:
- Weideman, Eleanor A.
Munro, Christie
Perold, Vonica
Omardien, Aaniyah
Ryan, Peter G. - Abstract:
- Abstract: Ingestion of anthropogenic litter has been well documented in marine vertebrates, but comparatively little is known about marine invertebrates. We report macrolitter ingestion by the sandy anemone Bunodactis reynaudi at Muizenberg beach in False Bay, South Africa. Monthly surveys from May 2015 to August 2019 collected 491 ingested litter items (9.4 ± 14.9 items·month -1, 39.8 ± 71.5 g·month -1 ), of which >99% were plastic. The number of ingested items was correlated with the abundance of stranded items and ingestion peaked in autumn when seasonal rains washed more litter into the bay. Most ingested litter was clear (39%), white (16%) and black/purple (15%). Comparison with environmental litter showed selection for flexible plastics, particularly bags/packets and food packaging. Experimental feeding trials found that B. reynaudi selected for pieces of HDPE bag suspended in seawater for 2–20 days, suggesting that biofilms enhance the palatability of flexible plastics. Studies are needed to assess the possible impacts of plastic ingestion on B. reynaudi . While only a small proportion of the population currently ingest litter, ingestion might become more common if environmental litter loads increase. This might negatively affect the anemone's ability to respond to other environmental changes such as increasing levels of heavy metal pollution. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: We report the first record of macroplastic ingestion by a sessile anemone.Abstract: Ingestion of anthropogenic litter has been well documented in marine vertebrates, but comparatively little is known about marine invertebrates. We report macrolitter ingestion by the sandy anemone Bunodactis reynaudi at Muizenberg beach in False Bay, South Africa. Monthly surveys from May 2015 to August 2019 collected 491 ingested litter items (9.4 ± 14.9 items·month -1, 39.8 ± 71.5 g·month -1 ), of which >99% were plastic. The number of ingested items was correlated with the abundance of stranded items and ingestion peaked in autumn when seasonal rains washed more litter into the bay. Most ingested litter was clear (39%), white (16%) and black/purple (15%). Comparison with environmental litter showed selection for flexible plastics, particularly bags/packets and food packaging. Experimental feeding trials found that B. reynaudi selected for pieces of HDPE bag suspended in seawater for 2–20 days, suggesting that biofilms enhance the palatability of flexible plastics. Studies are needed to assess the possible impacts of plastic ingestion on B. reynaudi . While only a small proportion of the population currently ingest litter, ingestion might become more common if environmental litter loads increase. This might negatively affect the anemone's ability to respond to other environmental changes such as increasing levels of heavy metal pollution. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: We report the first record of macroplastic ingestion by a sessile anemone. Approximately 1% of Bunodactis reynaudi ingested litter items each month. B. reynaudi preferred flexible plastics (bags/packets and food packaging). The incidence of ingestion was linked to litter abundance in the environment. Feeding trials suggest that biofilms enhance the palatability of HDPE bags. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Environmental pollution. Volume 267(2020)
- Journal:
- Environmental pollution
- Issue:
- Volume 267(2020)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 267, Issue 2020 (2020)
- Year:
- 2020
- Volume:
- 267
- Issue:
- 2020
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2020-0267-2020-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2020-12
- Subjects:
- Macroplastics -- Flexible plastics -- Biofilm -- Invertebrates -- South Africa
Pollution -- Periodicals
Pollution -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals
Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals
Pollution -- Périodiques
Pollution -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques
Pollution -- Effets physiologiques -- Périodiques
Pollution
Pollution -- Environmental aspects
Periodicals
Electronic journals
363.73 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02697491 ↗
http://www.elsevier.com/journals ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115543 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0269-7491
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 3791.539000
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