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First evidence of presence of marine litter in jellyfish

  Figure 1. Field observation of a Pelagia noctiluca specimen, with a plastic fragment trapped between the oral lobes. The plastic comes from the packaging of a famous cigarette brand

The accumulation of marine litter, plastic items in particular, in the seas and ocean of the entire world has been documented since the ‘70s and has recently been identified as one of the most severe forms of pollution at global level. 
Larger plastic fragments at sea, known as macroplastics (> 1 cm),can pose a hazard to many marine animals, which get weaker and die from plastic ingestion or entanglement (for instance, in derelict fishing gear), choking, drowning as well as dysfunctional feeding. 
The presence of plastic is putting at risk many organism species but, to date, most studies have focused on fish, turtles and marine birds. For instance, turtles often mistake plastic bags suspended in the water column for jellyfish and ingest coloured synthetic debris confusing it for a prey.
The study entitled “Episodic records of jellyfish ingestion of plastic items reveal a novel pathway for trophic transference of marine litter”, recently published in Nature Scientific Reports, provides the first evidence of the presence of marine litter in Pelagia noctiluca, a jellyfish species commonly found throughout the Mediterranean Sea

The study has been carried out on P. noctiluca specimens collected in the surroundings of Ponza Island, characterised by plastic vortex, i.e. areas of marine litter accumulation, formed by the convergence ofsuperficial currents.  This observation was conducted in September 2016 by an international team of researchers within the framework of the Aquatilis expedition, which aimed at describing Mediterranean marine biodiversity.
During their underwater activities, researchers observed several jellyfish interacting with the marine litter in suspension (Figure 1). The collection and analysis of 20 specimens of P. noctiluca confirmed the presence of synthetic debris inside their gastrovascular cavities (Figure 2). This evidence has led to the assumption that jellyfish ingest marine plastic litter, probably recognising it as prey because of the chemical-physical properties inherent in plastics.
Valentina Venuti and Vincenza Crupi from the University of Messina as well as Francesco D’Amico and Barbara Rossi from Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste carried out the characterisation of the plastic debris found in the jellyfish by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and UV-Raman spectroscopy respectively.  Both techniques univocally identified two plastic fragments (>1 cm) made of high-density polyethylene and flame-retardant polyethylene, in addition to a third zinc-rich paint fragment.


Figure 2. A 1.7-cm-long polyethylene fragment, extracted from a jellyfish umbrella

This study, coordinated by Armando Macali (University of Tuscia), Elisa Bergami and Ilaria Corsi (University of Siena), in collaboration with Alexander Semenov from the Lomonosov State University of Moscow, has revealed that jellyfish is an “unexpected” target to plastic at sea.

As these cnidarians make up a considerable part of the diet of large vertebrates, such as turtles and fish (including species of commercial significance, such as tuna and swordfish), jellyfish might be an important vector of plastic and other litter along the marine trophic web.
Despite the limited size of the sample considered, the evidence shown by the study lays an important basis for future monitoring activities and studies to understand the mechanisms whereby plastics interact with marine invertebrates and the potential negative effects.
 
Source: Macali A., Semenov A., Venuti V., Crupi V., D’Amico F., Rossi B., Corsi I., Bergami E., 2018. Episodic records of jellyfish ingestion of plastic items reveal a novel pathway for trophic transference of marine litter, Scientific Reports8: 6105.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24427-7.
 

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  • Radio 24 Effetto giorno dd 16/07/2018: "In acqua con Armando Macali" mp3
  • RAI Sconfinamente dd 07/08/2018: "Rifiuti plastici e meduse in un importante studio internazionale" mp3
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Last Updated on Monday, 05 November 2018 14:41