Journal
WATER
Volume 13, Issue 21, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/w13213032
Keywords
microplastics; macroalgae; seagrasses; Nile red; EPS
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The study investigated microplastic contamination in different species of macroalgae and seagrass from two lagoons in the northern Adriatic Sea. It found a high percentage of samples containing microplastics, with contamination levels showing a site-specific accumulation pattern rather than a species-specific one. Additionally, exopolysaccharides displayed a significant positive correlation with microplastic contamination on macrophytes.
Marine macrophytes are hypothesized to be a major temporary sink for microplastics. In this study, microplastic contamination was investigated in 15 macroalgal species and one seagrass from different sites in two lagoons of the northern Adriatic Sea: the Goro lagoon and the Venice lagoon. A high percentage (94%) of the macrophyte samples contained microplastics, ranging from 0.16 to 330 items g(-1) fw, with the prevalent size in the range 30-90 mu m and an average contamination per unit of fresh weight of 14 items g(-1) fw. Microplastic contamination displayed a site-specific, rather than a species-specific, pattern of accumulation. In addition, exopolysaccharides (EPS) displayed a significant positive correlation with the microplastics ononcontamination on macrophytes acting as glue for the plastic particles available in the water column.
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