Plastic microfibre ingestion by deep-sea organisms.
Plastic waste is a distinctive indicator of the world-wide impact of anthropogenic activities. Both macro- and micro-plastics are found in the ocean, but as yet little is known about their ultimate fate and their impact on marine ecosystems. In this study we present the first evidence that microplastics are already becoming integrated into deep-water organisms. By examining organisms that live on the deep-sea floor we show that plastic microfibres are ingested and internalised by members of at least three major phyla with different feeding mechanisms. These results demonstrate that, despite its remote location, the deep sea and its fragile habitats are already being exposed to human waste to the extent that diverse organisms are ingesting microplastics.
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
M L
ML
Taylor
Department of Forensic and Crime Science, Staffordshire University, Stoke-On-Trent ST4 2DF, UK.
C
C
Gwinnett
School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK.
L F
LF
Robinson
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tinbergen Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.|Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.
L C
LC
Woodall
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