Tardigrades in the marine plastisphere: New hitchhikers surfing plastics.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 200: 116071, 2024 Mar.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38290365
ABSTRACT
Tardigrades are remarkable microorganisms known for their extraordinary resilience in diverse environments, including extreme conditions such as outer space. They are known for their interactions with natural substrates in terrestrial and aquatic systems, but have remained largely unexplored in relation to marine plastics. This study aims to investigate the colonization of plastics, ranging from fossil fuel-based to bioplastics, in the coastal zones of four countries (Brazil, Ireland, France and Italy). Here, we report the first documented occurrence of tardigrades colonizing plastic substrates. We identified five amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) belonging to the Tardigrada phylum, specifically in a post-consumer polypropylene, in the coastal zone of Galway, Ireland. This discovery raises questions about the characteristics of different plastics influencing on tardigrades' adhesion. Tardigrades hitchhiking on plastics in the oceans could expand their habitat range, possibly displacing native species and altering trophic interactions, with potential consequences for the overall biodiversity.
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Sujet principal:
Tardigrada
Type d'étude:
Prognostic_studies
Limites:
Animals
Langue:
En
Journal:
Mar Pollut Bull
Année:
2024
Type de document:
Article
Pays de publication:
Royaume-Uni