Plastics in Porifera: The occurrence of potential microplastics in marine sponges and seawater from Bocas del Toro, Panama.

ABSTRACT: Microplastics (MP) are now considered ubiquitous across global aquatic environments. The ingestion of MP by fish and other marine vertebrates is well studied, but the ingestion of MP by marine invertebrates is not. Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are particularly understudied when it comes to MP ingestion, even though they are widely distributed across benthic habitats, can process large volumes of seawater, and can retain small particles within their water filtration systems. This study examines the presence of potential MP (PMP) in wild marine sponges and seawater collected in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. Subsurface seawater and tissue from six common Caribbean sponge species was collected in Saigon Bay, a heavily impacted, shallow-water coral reef. Seawater samples were filtered onto glass fiber f

SUBMITTER: Fallon BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8272925 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature