Joshi Dushyant, Rabari Vasantkumar, Patel Heris, Trivedi Jigneshkumar
Department of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, 384265, Gujarat, India.
Environ Monit Assess. 2025 Aug 13;197(9):1013. doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-14470-z.
Nowadays, microplastics (MPs) are widespread across the planet and are recognized as a major threat to life on Earth. This study investigates the prevalence of microplastics in three species of zoanthids (Palythoa mutuki, Palythoa tuberculosa, and Zoanthus sansibaricus), sediment, and surface water samples collected from four rocky shores of Gujarat state, India. The extraction of MPs was carried out using a standard method. A total of 886, 389, and 128 MP particles were recorded, with an average abundance of 9.99 ± 6.29 MPs/g, 11.36 ± 4.03 MPs/kg, and 0.93 ± 0.52 MPs/L in zoanthids, sediment, and surface water, respectively. The highest MP contamination was found in Z. sansibaricus, followed by P. mutuki and P. tuberculosa. Contamination varied significantly between study sites and species of zoanthids (H (χ) = 9.45, p < 0.05, df = 59), with the highest MP abundance recorded in Dwarka. Sediment and surface water samples showed highest levels of MPs in Sutrapada. Physical characterization revealed that fibers were the most common shape of MPs, and particles were predominantly < 1 mm in size. Blue, black, and red colored MPs were found dominantly. The dominant polymer types identified were polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), and polyurethane (PU). PCA results show that pH, sediment, and water quality are the main environmental drivers influencing zoanthid ecology and MP contamination, while temperature and salinity have weaker or negative effects. Pollution indices revealed medium contamination in study site Dhamlej (H = 125.71, PRI = 217.79) and very high contamination in study sites Veraval, Dwarka, and Sutrapada. A meta-analysis reviewed MP contamination in different faunal groups of cnidarians; jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca showed the highest contamination, while sea anemone Edwardsia meridionalis had the lowest. Fibers were the most common MP shape, with 0.5-3 mm sizes and red, black, and blue colors dominating. Polyethylene (PE) was the most abundant polymer, with variations in polymer dominance among cnidarian groups. Therefore, understanding the impacts of microplastic pollution on zoanthids is critical, as their decline could have cascading effects on reef ecosystem health and resilience.
如今，微塑料在全球范围内广泛存在，被认为是对地球上生命的重大威胁。本研究调查了从印度古吉拉特邦四个岩石海岸采集的三种群体海葵（穆氏群体海葵、瘤状群体海葵和桑给巴尔群体海葵）、沉积物和地表水样本中微塑料的存在情况。微塑料的提取采用标准方法。在群体海葵、沉积物和地表水中分别记录到886、389和128个微塑料颗粒，平均丰度分别为9.99±6.29个微塑料/克、11.36±4.03个微塑料/千克和0.93±0.52个微塑料/升。在桑给巴尔群体海葵中发现的微塑料污染最高，其次是穆氏群体海葵和瘤状群体海葵。不同研究地点和群体海葵物种之间的污染差异显著（H(χ)=9.45，p<0.05，df=59），在德瓦卡记录到的微塑料丰度最高。沉积物和地表水样本在苏特拉帕达显示出最高水平的微塑料。物理特征表明，纤维是微塑料最常见的形状，颗粒主要小于1毫米。发现蓝色、黑色和红色微塑料占主导。鉴定出的主要聚合物类型为聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）、聚丙烯（PP）、聚酰胺（PA）和聚氨酯（PU）。主成分分析结果表明，pH值、沉积物和水质是影响群体海葵生态和微塑料污染的主要环境驱动因素，而温度和盐度的影响较弱或呈负相关。污染指数显示，研究地点哈姆莱杰存在中等污染（H=125.71，PRI=217.79），而在韦拉瓦尔、德瓦卡和苏特拉帕达研究地点存在非常高的污染。一项荟萃分析回顾了刺胞动物不同动物类群中的微塑料污染情况；夜光游水母显示出最高的污染，而南方艾氏海葵的污染最低。纤维是最常见的微塑料形状，尺寸为0.5 - 3毫米，红色、黑色和蓝色占主导。聚乙烯（PE）是最丰富的聚合物，不同刺胞动物类群中聚合物优势存在差异。因此，了解微塑料污染对群体海葵的影响至关重要，因为它们的减少可能对珊瑚礁生态系统健康和恢复力产生连锁反应。
