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Biological and Ecological Impacts of Plastic Debris in Aquatic Ecosystems

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Plastics in the Aquatic Environment - Part I

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 111))

Abstract

Plastic debris is now ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems worldwide and may impact different biological levels of organisation, with effects ranging from individual organisms to ecosystem functioning. Demonstrating these effects is not always straightforward, and there is uncertainty at every level. In particular, understanding of the wider impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is challenging, and little research has been done in this area. This chapter gives a broad overview of hierarchical impacts of macro- and microplastic pollution on aquatic ecosystems. Topics include the potential for microplastics to spread antimicrobial resistance and a summary of current knowledge concerning wider ecological impacts of macro- and microplastic debris such as changes to assemblage composition and structure and effects on nutrient cycling and primary productivity. The potential impacts of biodegradable plastics are also discussed and, in most cases, have similar effects to plastics made from conventional polymers emphasising that the same precautions need to be taken to ensure that these items do not become the litter of the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Ecology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK

    Dannielle Senga Green

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  1. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

    Friederike Stock

  2. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

    Georg Reifferscheid

  3. German Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

    Nicole Brennholt

  4. P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    Evgeniia Kostianaia

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Green, D.S. (2020). Biological and Ecological Impacts of Plastic Debris in Aquatic Ecosystems. In: Stock, F., Reifferscheid, G., Brennholt, N., Kostianaia, E. (eds) Plastics in the Aquatic Environment - Part I. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 111. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2020_509

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