dc.contributor.author | Wright, SL | |
dc.contributor.author | Rowe, D | |
dc.contributor.author | Thompson, RC | |
dc.contributor.author | Galloway, TS | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2016-03-08T11:02:05Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2013-12-02 | |
dc.description.abstract | The indiscriminate disposal of plastic to the environment is of concern. Microscopic plastic litter (<5 mm diameter; 'microplastic') is increasing in abundance in the marine environment, originating from the fragmentation of plastic items and from industry and personal-care products [1]. On highly impacted beaches, microplastic concentrations (<1mm) can reach 3% by weight, presenting a global conservation issue [2]. Microplastics are a novel substrate for the adherence of hydrophobic contaminants [1], deposition of eggs [3], and colonization by unique bacterial assemblages [4]. Ingestion by indiscriminate deposit-feeders has been reported, yet physical impacts remain understudied [1]. Here, we show that deposit-feeding marine worms maintained in sediments spiked with microscopic unplasticised polyvinylchloride (UPVC) at concentrations overlapping those in the environment had significantly depleted energy reserves by up to 50% (Figure 1). Our results suggest that depleted energy reserves arise from a combination of reduced feeding activity, longer gut residence times of ingested material and inflammation. | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | This work was funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; 1-SW-P-N21-000-031-DN-A1-05102. We thank Peter Splatt for SEM imaging assistance, Professor Stuart Bearhop for invaluable comments on the manuscript and Dr. Adil Bakir for UPVC chemistry analyses. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.citation | Vol. 23 (23), pp. R1031 - R1033 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1016/j.cub.2013.10.068 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/20599 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Elsevier | en_GB |
dc.relation.url | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24309274 | en_GB |
dc.rights | Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record. | en_GB |
dc.subject | Animals | en_GB |
dc.subject | Eating | en_GB |
dc.subject | Energy Metabolism | en_GB |
dc.subject | Environmental Monitoring | en_GB |
dc.subject | Geologic Sediments | en_GB |
dc.subject | Plastics | en_GB |
dc.subject | Polychaeta | en_GB |
dc.subject | Polyvinyl Chloride | en_GB |
dc.subject | Refuse Disposal | en_GB |
dc.title | Microplastic ingestion decreases energy reserves in marine worms | en_GB |
dc.type | Article | en_GB |
dc.date.available | 2016-03-08T11:02:05Z | |
exeter.place-of-publication | England | |
dc.identifier.journal | Current Biology | en_GB |