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dc.contributor.advisorBourgeon, Sophie
dc.contributor.advisorHalsband, Claudia
dc.contributor.advisorHerzke, Dorte
dc.contributor.authorAbrahams, Alexandra
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-06T21:53:27Z
dc.date.available2021-07-06T21:53:27Z
dc.date.issued2021-05-18
dc.description.abstractPlastic is a major component of marine litter in the world’s oceans and therefore it is critical we develop a better understanding of the fate of plastic in the marine environment, and the potential impacts on biota. Microplastics are the most abundant size class (<5 mm) of plastic found in the marine environment and have the potential to interact with smaller marine organisms at lower trophic levels. Microplastic fibers are a predominant type of microplastics found in the ocean, and in field studies of microplastics in benthic species. The main pathway of microplastic exposure to organisms is ingestion, which can be influenced by polymer type and biofouling state. A wide range of organisms ingest microplastic fibers, however without a better understanding of species-specific ingestion, retention, and egestion it is difficult to predict the potential ecological consequences. The current study exposed urchins to microplastic fibers, and wool as a natural fiber control, between 1 to 5 mm in length at a concentration of 128 fibers mL-1 for 48 hours. Fibers were exposed in two states, non-biofouled and biofouled. Post exposure urchins were kept for a depuration period of 86 hours. Intestines and faecal pellets were analyzed to investigate the influence of biofouling and fiber length on uptake, retention, and egestion of microplastic fibers. All urchins had ingested and egested microplastic fibers, but no statistically significant difference was found in ingestion or egestion between non-biofouled and biofouled fibers. Fiber length was not affected by urchin digestion. Findings about fiber retention was hampered due to low survival of urchins during the depuration period. Improvements in captivity conditions for future studies may be able to build upon understanding of retention time of microplastic fibers. This study demonstrated urchins can egested microplastic fibers in faecal pellets. As urchin faecal pellets are an important food source, microplastic fibers in faecal pellets could be an exposure pathway for other benthic species. Retained fibers in urchin intestines will be available for trophic transfer, potentially increasing the harmful impact of microplastic fibers in the environment.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/21785
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherUiT Norges arktiske universiteten_US
dc.publisherUiT The Arctic University of Norwayen_US
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2021 The Author(s)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0en_US
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)en_US
dc.subject.courseIDBIO-3950
dc.subjectVDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497en_US
dc.titleIngestion and egestion of microplastic fibers in the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis: An experimental exposureen_US
dc.typeMaster thesisen_US
dc.typeMastergradsoppgaveen_US


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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Med mindre det står noe annet, er denne innførselens lisens beskrevet som Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)