The Mediterranean Sea is highly affected by microplastics. This kind of pollutants is ubiquitous, and interacts with the marine biota at different levels: ingestion of microplastics was observed in an impressive number of marine species. The aim of this work is to verify if microplastics can produce a feeding impairment in Astroides calycularis, a shallow water coral species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Our findings suggest that microplastics can impair the feeding efficiency of A. calycularis, and therefore are likely to reduce its fitness.
Wasting time handling waste: microplastics impair the feeding performance of a Mediterranean coral
GALASSO NM;D'ANNA G;DI STEFANO G;PIPITONE C;VEGA FERNANDEZ T;ZENONE A;BADALAMENTI F;
2019
Abstract
The Mediterranean Sea is highly affected by microplastics. This kind of pollutants is ubiquitous, and interacts with the marine biota at different levels: ingestion of microplastics was observed in an impressive number of marine species. The aim of this work is to verify if microplastics can produce a feeding impairment in Astroides calycularis, a shallow water coral species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Our findings suggest that microplastics can impair the feeding efficiency of A. calycularis, and therefore are likely to reduce its fitness.File in questo prodotto:
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