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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The ingestion of microplastics (MPs - plastic particles <5 mm) by planktivorous organisms represents a signif icant threat to marine food webs. To investigate how seasonality might affect plastic intake in oceanic islands'
ecosystems, relative abundances and composition of MPs and mesozooplankton samples collected off Madeira
Island (NE Atlantic) between February 2019 and January 2020 were analysed. MPs were found in all samples,
with fibres accounting for 89 % of the particles. MPs and zooplankton mean abundance was 0.262 items/m3 and
18.137 individuals/m3
, respectively. Their monthly variations follow the seasonal fluctuation of environmental
parameters, such as currents, chlorophyll-a concentration, sea surface temperature and precipitation intensity. A
higher MPs/zooplankton ratio was recorded in the warm season (May-Oct), reaching 0.068 items/individual
when considering large-sized particles (1000–5000 μm). This is the first study to assess the seasonal variability of
MPs in an oceanic island system providing essential information respecting its ecological impact in pelagic
environments.
Description
Keywords
Macaronesia Marine trophic web Marine litter Oceanographic parameters Pelagic environment Plastic pollution . Faculdade de Ciências da Vida Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenharia
Citation
Sambolino, A., Herrera, I., Álvarez, S., Rosa, A., Alves, F., Canning-Clode, J., ... & Kaufmann, M. (2022). Seasonal variation in microplastics and zooplankton abundances and characteristics: the ecological vulnerability of an oceanic island system. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 181, 113906.
Publisher
Elsevier