Institute of Marine Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
Sci Rep. 2024 Aug 2;14(1):17963. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-68766-0.
While extensive research has explored the effects of plastic pollution, ecosystem responses remain poorly quantified, especially in field experiments. In this study, we investigated the impact of polyester pollution, a prevalent plastic type, on coastal sediment ecosystem function. Strips of polyester netting were buried into intertidal sediments, and effects on sediment oxygen consumption and polyester additive concentrations were monitored over 72-days. Our results revealed a rapid reduction in the magnitude and variability of sediment oxygen consumption, a crucial ecosystem process, potentially attributed to the loss of the additive di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from the polyester material. DEHP concentrations declined by 89% within the first seven days of deployment. However, effects on SOC dissipated after 22 days, indicating a short-term impact and a quick recovery by the ecosystem. Our study provides critical insights into the immediate consequences of plastic pollution on ecosystem metabolism in coastal sediments, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the temporal variation of plastic pollution's multifaceted impacts. Additionally, our research sheds light on the urgent need for comprehensive mitigation strategies to preserve marine ecosystem functionality from plastic pollution impacts.
虽然已经有大量研究探讨了塑料污染的影响，但生态系统的响应仍未得到充分量化，尤其是在野外实验中。在这项研究中，我们调查了聚酯污染（一种普遍的塑料类型）对沿海沉积物生态系统功能的影响。我们将聚酯网片埋入潮间带沉积物中，并在 72 天内监测了对沉积物耗氧和聚酯添加剂浓度的影响。我们的结果表明，沉积物耗氧这一关键生态过程的幅度和可变性迅速降低，这可能归因于聚酯材料中邻苯二甲酸二（2-乙基己基）酯（DEHP）的损失。在部署后的前七天内，DEHP 浓度下降了 89%。然而，SOC 的影响在 22 天后消散，表明这是一种短期影响，生态系统能够快速恢复。我们的研究为塑料污染对沿海沉积物生态系统代谢的直接影响提供了重要的见解，有助于深入了解塑料污染多方面影响的时间变化。此外，我们的研究还表明，迫切需要采取综合缓解策略，以防止海洋生态系统功能受到塑料污染的影响。
