Contamination of beach sediments of a subalpine lake with microplastic particles

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• 作者：Hannes K. Imhof ; Natalia P. Ivleva ; Johannes Schmid ; Reinhard Niessner ; Christian Laforsch
• 刊名：Current Biology
• 出版年：2013
• 出版时间：7 October, 2013
• 年：2013
• 卷：23
• 期：19
• 页码：R867-R868
• 全文大小：418 K

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Summary

Plastic waste is of increasing concern in marine ecosystems . Buoyant plastic particles accumulate in pelagic habitats whereas non-floating debris accumulates on the seafloor and in beach sediments, posing risk to the respective communities . Microplastic particles (<5 mm) are either directly introduced via sewage discharge or formed by biofouling and mechanical abrasion, making them more prone to consumption by aquatic organisms . As a consequence, they can accumulate in higher trophic levels . A variety of harmful effects of plastic and associated chemicals has been shown . Moreover, plastic debris can act as vector for alien species and diseases . A large portion of the plastic waste is produced onshore and reaches the marine environment, which is considered the main sink of plastic debris. There is, however, a considerable lack of knowledge on the contamination of freshwater ecosystems with plastic debris. We here show that freshwater ecosystems also act, at least temporarily, as a sink for plastic particles.