Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China.
Laboratory of Marine Biology and Ecology, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean & Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, 361005, Xiamen, China.
Environ Res. 2021 Jan;192:110326. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110326. Epub 2020 Oct 14.
Microplastics (MPs) in the Arctic have raised increasing concern, but knowledge on MP contamination in benthic organisms from Arctic shelf regions, e.g., the Chukchi Sea is still limited. Therefore, the present study investigated the occurrence, characteristics, sources, and environmental implications of MPs in the three most common benthic species, namely sea anemone (Actiniidae und.), deposit-feeding starfish (Ctenodiscus crispatus), and snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio), from the Chukchi Sea. The abundances of MPs in the three benthic species were significantly greater than those from the Bering Sea, but lower than those from other regions globally. The top three compositions of MPs in the three species were polyester, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate. The detection limit for MP size in the present study was 0.03 mm and the mean size of MP in the three species was 0.89 ± 0.06 mm. The surfaces of MPs found in the starfish and crabs were covered with many attachments, cracks, and hollows, while the surfaces of MPs found in the sea anemones were smooth, which was likely a consequence of different feeding behaviors. There was a significantly positive correlation between the abundances of MPs and other anthropogenic substances. The mean MP abundances in the sea anemones ranged from 0.2 items/individual to 1.7 items/individual, which was significantly higher than that in the deposit-feeding starfish (0.1-1.4 items/individual) and snow crabs (0.0-0.6 items/individual). Sea anemones inhabiting lower latitudes ingested relatively higher levels of MPs than those inhabiting higher latitudes. The MP abundances in the sea anemones are significantly and positively correlated with the seasonal reduced ratio of sea ice coverage from August to September. Our findings indicate that sea anemones could function as a bioindicator of MP pollution, and that the MPs in the benthos from the Chukchi Sea might originate from the melting sea ice, fishery activities and ocean currents.
北极地区的微塑料（MPs）引起了越来越多的关注，但对于北极大陆架地区（如楚科奇海）底栖生物中 MP 污染的认识仍然有限。因此，本研究调查了楚科奇海三种最常见的底栖物种（海葵、食沉积物海星和雪蟹）中 MPs 的存在、特征、来源和环境影响。这三种底栖生物中 MPs 的丰度明显高于白令海，但低于全球其他地区。这三种生物中 MPs 的主要成分是聚酯、尼龙和聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯。本研究中 MP 尺寸的检测下限为 0.03 毫米，三种生物中 MP 的平均尺寸为 0.89 ± 0.06 毫米。在海星和螃蟹中发现的 MPs 表面覆盖着许多附着物、裂缝和凹痕，而在海葵中发现的 MPs 表面则很光滑，这可能是由于不同的摄食行为造成的。MPs 的丰度与其他人为物质呈显著正相关。海葵中 MPs 的平均丰度范围为 0.2 个/个体至 1.7 个/个体，明显高于食沉积物海星（0.1-1.4 个/个体）和雪蟹（0.0-0.6 个/个体）。栖息在较低纬度的海葵摄入的 MPs 相对较高，而栖息在较高纬度的海葵摄入的 MPs 相对较低。海葵中 MPs 的丰度与 8 月至 9 月海冰覆盖季节性减少比例呈显著正相关。我们的研究结果表明，海葵可以作为 MP 污染的生物指标，楚科奇海底栖生物中的 MPs 可能来自融化的海冰、渔业活动和洋流。
