Tropical and Subtropical Virulent Microalgae Found in Floating Marine Plastics
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- Date : 2024-11-13
The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST, President Lee Hyi Seung) has discovered that virulent benthic microalgae from the tropics and subtropics can live in floating marine plastics in the ocean. The Institute revealed regrowth and reattachment characteristics of the microalgae in plastic polymers by using a closed ecosystem,* publishing its findings in an international journal.**
* Closed ecosystem: An ecosystem that is maintained at a state where there is no inflow or outflow of substances from the outside. Closed ecosystems can be divided into microcosms, mesocosms, and megacosms according to size. A microcosm is a miniature of a real ecosystem, which means an artificial ecosystem that is generally maintained on a small scale in a laboratory.
** Baek Seung-ho and Lee Chung-hyeon (KIOST), et al., “Temporal changes in microalgal biomass and species composition on different plastic polymers in nutrient-enriched microcosm experiments,” Science of the Total Environment, August 2024
The research team at KIOST's South Sea Research Institute, led by Dr. Baek Seung-ho, focused on the fact that when domestic waste generated on land and marine waste discarded during fishing activities in rivers and oceans enters the sea, it can act as a vector for the transfer of invasive species across marine borders. The team analyzed plastic bags and bottles that constitute marine meso- and macro-plastics collected from the sea in front of the harbor of the South Sea Research Institute in Jangmok-myeon, Geoje City.
In the collected plastics, they found dinoflagellate,* which lives mainly in the tropics and subtropics, and which contain Ciguatera, one of the causes of fish toxins. Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is produced by virulent dinoflagellates that attach to and live on algae and coral reefs in the tropics and subtropics. The toxin accumulates through the food chain as small creatures that ingest the dinoflagellate are eaten by larger fish. Human consumption of fish with CFP accumulation can cause neurological disorders, and therefore must be managed.
* Adhesive microalgae using two flagella to swim.
The results of the study particularly show that benthic dinoflagellates living in tropical and subtropical seas can utilize plastic as an artificial habitat and can be transported by ocean currents to our oceans using plastic particles as a vector.
“KIOST is leading global research in the field of inflow, generation, and hazard assessment of marine microplastics,” said KIOST President Lee Hyi Seung, adding, “We will continue to conduct research to quantitatively assess the hazard level of the impact of the inflow of marine plastics on the environment in marine ecosystems in order to lay the foundation for scientific management of marine plastic pollution.”
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- Last Update : 2024-08-06