Microplastic Contamination Has Limited Effects on Coral Fertilisation and Larvae
1
College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
2
[email protected], Division of Research & Innovation, James Cook University and Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
3
Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
4
Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
5
Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Remediation (EnSuRe), School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2019, 11(12), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/d11120228
Received: 9 October 2019 / Revised: 22 November 2019 / Accepted: 22 November 2019 / Published: 28 November 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impacts of Contaminants on Tropical Marine Organisms and Ecosystems)
Microplastics are ubiquitous throughout the world’s oceans and contaminate coral reef ecosystems. There is evidence of microplastic ingestion by corals and passive contact with coral tissues, causing adverse health effects that include energy expenditure for particle removal from the tissue surface, as well as reduced growth, tissue bleaching, and necrosis. Here, it was examined whether microplastic contamination impairs the success of gamete fertilisation, embryo development and larval settlement of the reef-building coral Acropora tenuis. Coral gametes and larvae were exposed to fifteen microplastic treatments using two types of plastic: (1) weathered polypropylene particles and (2) spherical polyethylene microbeads. The treatments ranged from five to 50 polypropylene pieces L−1 and 25 to 200 microbeads L−1. Fertilisation was only negatively affected by the largest weathered microplastics (2 mm2), but the effects were not dose dependent. Embryo development and larval settlement were not significantly impacted by either microplastic type. The study shows that moderate–high levels of marine microplastic contamination, specifically particles <2 mm2, will not substantially interfere with the success of critical early life coral processes.
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Keywords:
plastic; coral spawning; settlement; metamorphosis; coral reefs; pollution
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MDPI and ACS Style
Berry, K.L.E.; Epstein, H.E.; Lewis, P.J.; Hall, N.M.; Negri, A.P. Microplastic Contamination Has Limited Effects on Coral Fertilisation and Larvae. Diversity 2019, 11, 228. https://doi.org/10.3390/d11120228
AMA Style
Berry KLE, Epstein HE, Lewis PJ, Hall NM, Negri AP. Microplastic Contamination Has Limited Effects on Coral Fertilisation and Larvae. Diversity. 2019; 11(12):228. https://doi.org/10.3390/d11120228
Chicago/Turabian StyleBerry, Kathryn L.E.; Epstein, Hannah E.; Lewis, Phoebe J.; Hall, Nora M.; Negri, Andrew P. 2019. "Microplastic Contamination Has Limited Effects on Coral Fertilisation and Larvae" Diversity 11, no. 12: 228. https://doi.org/10.3390/d11120228
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