Plastic pollution is a planetary threat, affecting nearly every marine and freshwater ecosystem globally. Coastal waters worldwide are widely contaminated with different kinds of plastic, whose presence in aquatic ecosystems leads to various economic and social impacts and harmful effects on marine ecosystems. The study of effects of pollutants, especially microplastics and associated toxic substances, is relatively new, with an increase in discoveries in latest decades. Despite this, only recently occurrence, interactions and fate of microplastics have been investigated in certain environments, like coral reefs. Most of the studies on the interaction mechanisms and impacts between microplastics (MPs) and anthozoans have been conducted on stony corals, neglecting other important reef dwellers. To gain a better understanding of the microplastic influences on marine ecosystems, most studies assess their abundance, distribution and composition through different methodologies, like the use of marine organisms as bioindicators and the detection of plastic-associated contaminants in their tissues. Among plastic additives, phthalate esters (PAEs) are the most common class of plasticizers, which can easily leach from plastic debris into the environment. Due to their hydrophobicity, toxicity and bio-accumulative properties, these contaminants are a matter of worldwide concern and have been proposed as a possible tracer of marine organisms’ exposure to plastic debris. This research seeks to improve awareness of microplastic-biota relationships, providing useful insights by investigating microplastics and phthalates occurrence and interactions in understudied anthozoan species, specifically, soft corals and sea anemones. At the same time, this research investigates the potential use of phthalates as a proxy to evaluate the exposition of such organisms to plastic litter present in the marine environment, assessing PAEs levels in soft-benthic cnidarian tissues through a potentially non-lethal alternative procedure (BioSPME LC/MS). To evaluate the suitability of the above-mentioned hypothesis, this research investigates MPs and PAEs interactions with different soft benthic cnidarian species across diverse conditions (i.e. in laboratory and natural environment), through three main steps. Firstly, at laboratory conditions, soft corals capacity to interact with MPs was assessed through feeding and adhesion tests, providing a first evaluation of some physical and physiological effects of microplastic exposure on the soft coral Coelogorgia palmosa. Thereafter, PAEs presence and bioconcentration factors were investigated using the BioSPME-LC/MS procedure in four different soft coral species. Once the capacity of soft corals to interact with MPs and PAEs was assessed at control conditions, the study moved at environmental conditions. MPs and PAEs occurrence and distribution were simultaneously detected in Actinia equina and Anemonia viridis sea anemones, showing patterns that mirror the environmental characteristics of the study area. Overall, the findings presented in this work highlight the ability of soft corals and sea anemones to interact both with plastic microlitter and phthalates, integrating existing literature on the uptake of microplastics by providing a scientific baseline on MPs occurrence and interactions in overlooked anthozoan species.

L'inquinamento da plastica è una minaccia che colpisce quasi tutti gli ecosistemi marini e d'acqua dolce a livello globale. Le acque costiere di tutto il mondo sono ampiamente contaminate da diversi tipi di plastica, la cui presenza negli ecosistemi acquatici porta a differenti impatti economici e sociali ed effetti dannosi sugli ecosistemi marini. Lo studio degli effetti degli inquinanti, in particolare delle microplastiche e delle sostanze tossiche associate, è relativamente nuovo, con un aumento delle scoperte negli ultimi decenni. Nonostante ciò, solo di recente la presenza, le interazioni e il destino delle microplastiche in alcuni ambienti, come, ad esempio, le barriere coralline, sono stati oggetto di studio. La maggior parte degli studi sui meccanismi di interazione e gli impatti tra microplastiche (MPs) e antozoi sono stati condotti sulle sclerattinie o coralli duri, trascurando altri importanti abitanti della barriera corallina. Per comprendere meglio l’influenza della presenza della microplastica sugli ecosistemi marini, la maggior parte degli studi ne valuta l'abbondanza, la distribuzione e la composizione attraverso diverse metodologie, come l'uso di organismi marini come bioindicatori e il rilevamento di contaminanti associati alla plastica nei loro tessuti. Tra gli additivi associati al materiale plastico, gli ftalati (PAEs) sono la classe più comune di plastificanti, che possono facilmente separarsi dalla plastica durante il suo invecchiamento ed essere rilasciati nell'ambiente. A causa della loro idrofobicità, della loro tossicità e delle loro proprietà bio-accumulative, questi additivi sono motivo di preoccupazione a livello mondiale e sono stati proposti come possibili marker dell'esposizione degli organismi marini alla plastica. Questa ricerca si pone come obbiettivo di contribuire alle conoscenze sulle relazioni tra microplastica e biota, fornendo nuove informazioni riguardo la presenza e le interazioni di microplastica e ftalati in specie di antozoi finora poco studiate, nello specifico coralli molli e anemoni di mare. Allo stesso tempo, questa ricerca indaga il potenziale utilizzo degli ftalati come traccianti per valutare l'esposizione di tali organismi ai rifiuti plastici presenti nell'ambiente marino, valutando i livelli di PAEs nei tessuti di tali cnidari attraverso una procedura alternativa e potenzialmente non letale (BioSPME LC/MS). In generale, per valutare l'idoneità dell'ipotesi sopra menzionata, questa ricerca studia alcune interazioni ed effetti di MPs e PAEs con diverse specie di cnidari bentonici molli e in diverse condizioni (in laboratorio e in ambiente naturale), attraverso tre fasi principali. In primo luogo, in laboratorio, è stata valutata la capacità dei coralli molli di interagire con le MPs attraverso test di alimentazione ed adesione, fornendo una prima valutazione di alcuni effetti fisici e fisiologici dell'esposizione alla microplastica sul corallo molle Coelogorgia palmosa. Successivamente, la presenza e i fattori di bioconcentrazione di alcuni ftalati sono stati esaminati utilizzando la procedura BioSPME-LC/MS in quattro diverse specie di coralli molli. Una volta valutata la capacità dei coralli molli di interagire con MPs e PAEs a condizioni controllate, lo studio si è spostato in ambiente naturale. La presenza di MPs e PAEs è stata rilevata simultaneamente negli anemoni di mare Actinia equina e Anemonia viridis, mostrando uno schema che rispecchia la contaminazione da plastica caratteristica dell'area di studio. Nel complesso, i risultati presentati in questo lavoro evidenziano la capacità dei coralli molli e degli anemoni di mare di interagire sia con le microplastiche che con gli ftalati, integrando la letteratura esistente sulle interazioni tra MPs e biota fornendo informazioni riguardo specie di antozoi solitamente poco studiate in questo ambito.

(2023). Microplastics and phthalate esters: presence and interactions in overlooked benthic anthozoans used as tracers of plastic contamination. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2023).

Microplastics and phthalate esters: presence and interactions in overlooked benthic anthozoans used as tracers of plastic contamination

VENCATO, SARA
2023

Abstract

Plastic pollution is a planetary threat, affecting nearly every marine and freshwater ecosystem globally. Coastal waters worldwide are widely contaminated with different kinds of plastic, whose presence in aquatic ecosystems leads to various economic and social impacts and harmful effects on marine ecosystems. The study of effects of pollutants, especially microplastics and associated toxic substances, is relatively new, with an increase in discoveries in latest decades. Despite this, only recently occurrence, interactions and fate of microplastics have been investigated in certain environments, like coral reefs. Most of the studies on the interaction mechanisms and impacts between microplastics (MPs) and anthozoans have been conducted on stony corals, neglecting other important reef dwellers. To gain a better understanding of the microplastic influences on marine ecosystems, most studies assess their abundance, distribution and composition through different methodologies, like the use of marine organisms as bioindicators and the detection of plastic-associated contaminants in their tissues. Among plastic additives, phthalate esters (PAEs) are the most common class of plasticizers, which can easily leach from plastic debris into the environment. Due to their hydrophobicity, toxicity and bio-accumulative properties, these contaminants are a matter of worldwide concern and have been proposed as a possible tracer of marine organisms’ exposure to plastic debris. This research seeks to improve awareness of microplastic-biota relationships, providing useful insights by investigating microplastics and phthalates occurrence and interactions in understudied anthozoan species, specifically, soft corals and sea anemones. At the same time, this research investigates the potential use of phthalates as a proxy to evaluate the exposition of such organisms to plastic litter present in the marine environment, assessing PAEs levels in soft-benthic cnidarian tissues through a potentially non-lethal alternative procedure (BioSPME LC/MS). To evaluate the suitability of the above-mentioned hypothesis, this research investigates MPs and PAEs interactions with different soft benthic cnidarian species across diverse conditions (i.e. in laboratory and natural environment), through three main steps. Firstly, at laboratory conditions, soft corals capacity to interact with MPs was assessed through feeding and adhesion tests, providing a first evaluation of some physical and physiological effects of microplastic exposure on the soft coral Coelogorgia palmosa. Thereafter, PAEs presence and bioconcentration factors were investigated using the BioSPME-LC/MS procedure in four different soft coral species. Once the capacity of soft corals to interact with MPs and PAEs was assessed at control conditions, the study moved at environmental conditions. MPs and PAEs occurrence and distribution were simultaneously detected in Actinia equina and Anemonia viridis sea anemones, showing patterns that mirror the environmental characteristics of the study area. Overall, the findings presented in this work highlight the ability of soft corals and sea anemones to interact both with plastic microlitter and phthalates, integrating existing literature on the uptake of microplastics by providing a scientific baseline on MPs occurrence and interactions in overlooked anthozoan species.
MONTANO, SIMONE
PADOA SCHIOPPA, EMILIO
Microplastiche; Ftalati; Inquinamento; Coralli; Antozoi
Microplastics; Phthalates; Pollution; Corals; Anthozoan
BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA
English
3-mag-2023
35
2021/2022
open
(2023). Microplastics and phthalate esters: presence and interactions in overlooked benthic anthozoans used as tracers of plastic contamination. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2023).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/418142
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