Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 (IFZ), 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-32 (IFZ), 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Environ Pollut. 2019 Nov;254(Pt B):113074. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113074. Epub 2019 Aug 19.
Coral reefs are increasingly affected by the consequences of global change such as increasing temperatures or pollution. Lately, microplastics (i.e., fragments < 5 mm) have been identified as another potential threat. While previous studies have assessed short-term effects caused by high concentrations of microplastics, nothing is known about the long-term effects of microplastics under realistic concentrations. Therefore, a microcosm study was conducted and corals of the genera Acropora, Pocillopora, Porites, and Heliopora were exposed to microplastics in a concentration of 200 particles L, relating to predicted pollution levels. Coral growth and health, as well as symbiont properties were studied over a period of six months. The exposure caused species-specific effects on coral growth and photosynthetic performance. Signs of compromised health were observed for Acropora and Pocillopora, those taxa that frequently interact with the particles. The results indicate elevated energy demands in the affected species, likely due to physical contact of the corals to the microplastics. The study shows that microplastic pollution can have negative impacts on hermatypic corals. These effects might amplify corals' susceptibility to other stressors, further contributing to community shifts in coral reef assemblages.
珊瑚礁越来越受到全球变化的影响，如温度升高或污染。最近，微塑料（即<5 毫米的碎片）已被确定为另一种潜在威胁。虽然之前的研究评估了高浓度微塑料造成的短期影响，但对于实际浓度下微塑料的长期影响还一无所知。因此，进行了一项微型生物群系研究，将珊瑚属的 Acropora、Pocillopora、Porites 和 Heliopora 暴露在浓度为 200 个颗粒/L 的微塑料中，这与预测的污染水平有关。在六个月的时间里，研究了珊瑚的生长和健康状况以及共生体特性。暴露导致珊瑚的生长和光合作用性能出现特定物种的影响。频繁与颗粒相互作用的 Acropora 和 Pocillopora 出现了健康受损的迹象。结果表明，受影响的物种的能量需求增加，这可能是由于珊瑚与微塑料的物理接触造成的。该研究表明，微塑料污染会对造礁石珊瑚产生负面影响。这些影响可能会增加珊瑚对其他胁迫的敏感性，进一步导致珊瑚礁生物群的群落变化。
