"Microplastics and their potential effects on the benthic foraminifera" Elena Romano (Pres 21:5ISAE)
This presentation was a part of the 5th International Symposium on Anchialine Ecosystems (5ISAE), held in Kailua-Kona November 3-5, 2022, and was shared virtually.
Presentation 19: "Preliminary study on microplastics and their potential effects on the benthic foraminifera in the Bue Marino cave (East Sardinia, Italy)."
Session 5: Europe - Earth Sciences
Presentation Authors: Elena Romano (1), Matteo Baini (2), Luisa Bergamin (1), Andrea D’Ambrosi (3), Letizia Di Bella (4), Cristina Panti (2), Claudio Provenzani (3), Maria Cristina Fossi (2)
Affiliations: (1) ISPRA, Italian Institute for the Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy; (2) University of Siena, Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Siena, Italy; (3) BigBlueXplorers Association, Rome, Italy; (4) Sapienza University, Earth Science Department, Rome, Italy
Presentation Abstract: In recent decades, microplastic pollution has been widespread all over the world affecting both marine and terrestrial environments. Marine caves, although generally considered as pristine environments, are potentially exposed to the supply of microplastics through contributions from both marine and continental waters. The Bue Marino cave system is constituted by three main branches (North, Middle, and South) fed by temporary water courses, developing, on the whole, for over 70 km as a part of the Supramonte karst system. Recently, the cave sector close to the marine entrance has been studied for environmental purposes, using benthic foraminifera (single-celled, organisms of marine and transitional waters with both calcareous and agglutinated shells) as environmental indicators of different rates of terrestrial and marine contributions.
Recent studies have shown that some foraminiferal species may ingest microplastics, which are incorporated into their cytoplasm and potentially affecting biomineralization processes of calcareous taxa. Moreover, microplastic debris may be incorporated in the shell of agglutinated taxa.
For the present study, two stations in the North and two in the Middle Branch, have been sampled for surface sediment to analyze microplastics and foraminifera, while floating microplastics were collected in the same cave sectors using a plankton net. The results represent the first record of microplastics in marine caves. An average of 17.17 ± 7.67 items/kg was found in sediment, mainly fibers and fragments of PVC and polyethylene with size less than 0.5 mm. Benthic foraminifera displayed higher diversity and abundant epifaunal calcareous taxa in the North branch, while lower diversity was recorded in the Middle Branch, with dominance of infaunal calcareous and agglutinated taxa. Analyses through FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) microscopy are in progress to detect the possible presence of plastic components in foraminiferal shells.