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Microplastic accumulation in Halophila ovalis beds in the Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia

Microplastic accumulation in Halophila ovalis beds in the Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia
Microplastic accumulation in Halophila ovalis beds in the Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia

Small ephemeral seagrass (Halophila ovalis) beds in the Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia, were sampled to determine if microplastics attach to seagrass blades and accumulate in higher concentrations in seagrass sediment compared to bare sediment. Three microplastics were observed attached to sampled seagrass blades (n = 108). Microplastics had a mean concentration in seagrass sediments of 1000 ± 100.37se particles kg −1 and in bare sediment of 972 ± 92.19se particles kg −1. ATR FTIR further verified 64.2 % of subsample particles as plastic (n = 28). This is the first known study to identify microplastics within the leaf canopy of H. ovalis however we could not support our hypothesis that this seagrass species acts as a sink for microplastic particles in sediments, as seen in studies on other seagrass species. The ability for seagrass habitats to trap and accumulate microplastics in sediments is likely influenced by species morphology, seagrass canopy density and life history.

Halophila ovalis, Microplastics, Seagrass, Sediment
0025-326X
114480
Wright, Joné
a8c5876e-97b5-4973-ae63-fa69e32f1e80
Hovey, Renae K.
c1a906ce-ca87-4ab0-ae7b-f3ade57f6ff0
Paterson, Harriet
8a28f009-03ad-4004-998a-158eb84825d1
Stead, Jessica
abd3bc01-cf97-4692-a191-cd3ce2fb79f7
Cundy, Andrew
994fdc96-2dce-40f4-b74b-dc638286eb08
Wright, Joné
a8c5876e-97b5-4973-ae63-fa69e32f1e80
Hovey, Renae K.
c1a906ce-ca87-4ab0-ae7b-f3ade57f6ff0
Paterson, Harriet
8a28f009-03ad-4004-998a-158eb84825d1
Stead, Jessica
abd3bc01-cf97-4692-a191-cd3ce2fb79f7
Cundy, Andrew
994fdc96-2dce-40f4-b74b-dc638286eb08

Wright, Joné, Hovey, Renae K., Paterson, Harriet, Stead, Jessica and Cundy, Andrew (2023) Microplastic accumulation in Halophila ovalis beds in the Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 187, 114480, [114480]. (doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114480).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Small ephemeral seagrass (Halophila ovalis) beds in the Swan-Canning Estuary, Western Australia, were sampled to determine if microplastics attach to seagrass blades and accumulate in higher concentrations in seagrass sediment compared to bare sediment. Three microplastics were observed attached to sampled seagrass blades (n = 108). Microplastics had a mean concentration in seagrass sediments of 1000 ± 100.37se particles kg −1 and in bare sediment of 972 ± 92.19se particles kg −1. ATR FTIR further verified 64.2 % of subsample particles as plastic (n = 28). This is the first known study to identify microplastics within the leaf canopy of H. ovalis however we could not support our hypothesis that this seagrass species acts as a sink for microplastic particles in sediments, as seen in studies on other seagrass species. The ability for seagrass habitats to trap and accumulate microplastics in sediments is likely influenced by species morphology, seagrass canopy density and life history.

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Accepted/In Press date: 6 December 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 December 2022
Published date: 1 February 2023
Additional Information: Funding Information: This research was funded by the University of Western Australia . JW acknowledges the generous assistance provided by volunteers during field and lab work. JS and AC acknowledge the support of the University of Southampton via a Global Research Initiator award (TransPlas). AC also acknowledges support from the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou, SMSEGL20SC02 ) in his contribution to this paper. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords: Halophila ovalis, Microplastics, Seagrass, Sediment
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Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 494483
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/494483
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114480
ISSN: 0025-326X
PURE UUID: a1b6e950-88da-4906-a523-6598b85799bb
ORCID for Andrew Cundy: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4368-2569

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Date deposited: 09 Oct 2024 16:39
Last modified: 10 Oct 2024 01:47

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Contributors

Author: Joné Wright
Author: Renae K. Hovey
Author: Harriet Paterson
Author: Jessica Stead
Author: Andrew Cundy ORCID iD

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