Microplastic pollution harms lobster larvae

Microplastic fiber pollution in the ocean affects larval lobsters at each stage of their development, according to new research. A study reports that the fibers affect the animals' feeding and respiration, and they could prevent some larvae from reaching adulthood.

Accumulated microplastic fibers are visible under this larval lobster's carapace. Photo: Madelyn Woods

"In today's ocean, organisms are exposed to many environmental factors that affect how many make it to the next stage of life," said Patricia Matrai, a study author and senior research scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine.

"Lobsters play a fundamental role in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem as well as in Maine's economy, and it is important that we understand how pollutants impact their development."

Young lobsters grow to adulthood through four developmental stages; the researchers found that the physiology of each stage determined how the animals interacted with plastic fibers.

The youngest lobsters didn't consume them -- but they were plagued by fibers accumulating under the shells that protect their gills. In experiments where the larvae were exposed to high levels of fibers, the youngest larvae were the least likely to survive.

Older lobster larvae, more mobile and agile, did not accumulate fibers under their shells -- but they did ingest the particles and retain them in their digestive systems.

That could be problematic for lobster larvae coming of age in the ocean. Fresh plastics often leach chemicals, and their surfaces can foster potentially toxic sea life.

"Plastic particles have been found in almost every animal in the ocean," said David Fields, another study author and a senior research scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory. "That can have repercussions for the marine food web." (National Science Foundation)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Greenland is on track to lose ice faster this century than in any other over the past 12,000 years

Greenland's rate of ice loss this century is likely to greatly outpace that of any century over the past 12,000 years.

Cheating birds mimic host nestlings to deceive foster parents

The common cuckoo is known for its deceitful nesting behaviour – by laying eggs in the nests of other bird species, it fools host parents into rearing cuckoo chicks alongside their own.

Sentinels of ocean acidification survived Earth's last mass extinction

Tiny, delicate marine organisms are surprisingly resilient.

Forest margins may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought

A warming climate and more frequent wildfires do not necessarily mean the western United States will see the forest loss that many scientists expect.

Mimicked red algae enzyme used to boost crop yields

Australian scientists have discovered a way to engineer more efficient versions of the plant enzyme Rubisco by using a red algae-like Rubisco from a bacterium (...)

How earthquake swarms -- strings of quakes -- arise

A new fault simulator maps out slow-motion quakes and seismic swarms.