Macrofouling communities and the degradation of plastic bags in the sea: an in situ experiment.

ABSTRACT: The increasing amount of plastic littered into the sea may provide a new substratum for benthic organisms. These marine fouling communities on plastic have not received much scientific attention. We present, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive analysis of their macroscopic community composition, their primary production and the polymer degradation comparing conventional polyethylene (PE) and a biodegradable starch-based plastic blend in coastal benthic and pelagic habitats in the Mediterranean Sea. The biomass of the fouling layer increased significantly over time and all samples became heavy enough to sink to the seafloor. The fouling communities, consisting of 21 families, were distinct between habitats, but not between polymer types. Positive primary production was measured in the

SUBMITTER: Pauli NC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5666253 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature