<address id="lxrbh"></address>
      <em id="lxrbh"><span id="lxrbh"></span></em>

      ScienceDaily
      Your source for the latest research news
      Follow Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe RSS Feeds Newsletters
      New:
      • New Physics and the Early Universe
      • How SARS-CoV-2 Rapidly Damages Human Lung Cells
      • Greenland Ice Sheet Faces Irreversible Melting
      • Early Changes in Alzheimer’s Before Symptoms
      • Fingerprints Strengthen Human Touch
      • Is It Better to Give Than Receive?
      • New Hubble Data Explains Missing Dark Matter
      • What Triggers Leaf Die-Off in Autumn?
      • Alligators Can Regrow Their Tails Too
      • Two Liquid States of Water Exist
      advertisement
      Follow all of ScienceDaily's latest research news and top science headlines!
      Science News
      from research organizations

      1

      2

      Marine biology: Sponges as biomonitors of micropollution

      Date:
      October 23, 2020
      Source:
      Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
      Summary:
      Sponges are filter feeders that live on particulate matter -- but they can also ingest microscopic fragments of plastics and other pollutants of anthropogenic origin. They can therefore serve as useful bioindicators of the health of marine ecosystems.
      Share:
      FULL STORY

      Sponges are filter feeders that live on particulate matter -- but they can also ingest microscopic fragments of plastics and other pollutants of anthropogenic origin. They can therefore serve as useful bioindicators of the health of marine ecosystems.

      advertisement

      Pollution of the world's oceans owing to anthropogenic input of plastics and other industrial wastes represents an increasing threat to the viability of marine ecosystems. -- And because such pollutants accumulate in fish, crustaceans and mollusks, they enter the food chain and can be ingested by human consumers. Microparticles with dimensions of less than 5 mm present a particularly insidious problem. This class of pollutants includes microplastics and textile fibers, as well as synthetic chemicals found in consumer products such as household cleansers and cosmetics. It is therefore imperative to develop methods for quantifying the magnitude of the threat in order to develop effective measures to mitigate it. In a new publication in the journal Environmental Pollution, a research team led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich Professor Gert Wörheide (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and GeoBio-Center) shows that marine sponges have great potential as bioindicators for the monitoring of microscopic pollutants in the seas.

      Sponges are sometimes referred to as the ocean's vacuum cleaners. They feed on tiny particles suspended in the currents, by filtering them from the seawater that passes through their highly porous tissues -- which are supported by mineralized skeletons in many species. To assess their utility as bioindicators for microparticulate pollutants, Wörheide and colleagues studied 15 samples of a type of mineralized sponges belonging to the class known as 'demosponges' from a coral reef off the coast of the island of Bangka in Northern Sulawesi (Indonesia). "We chose this site because Southeast Asia is a hotspot for plastic pollutants in the oceans," says Elsa B. Girard, lead author of the study. Girard recently graduated from the Master's Program in Geobiology and Paleobiology at LMU, and her contribution to the paper was part of her Master's thesis. "In light of the impact of global warming, and the overexploitation of marine resources, local sponge species could act as useful biomonitors of micropollutants, and help us to develop appropriate measures to reduce the deleterious effects of these substances on reef communities," she explains.

      In cooperation with specialists from the SNSB- Mineralogical State Collection in Munich and LMU's Department of Chemistry and Center for Nanoscience (CeNS), the biologists used two innovative methods to examine the samples collected from the reef. With the aid of two-photon excitation microscopy (TPE), they confirmed that sponges indeed incorporate microparticles into their tissues. Then they used Raman spectroscopy to characterize the nature of the particles themselves. The data obtained with the second technique revealed the presence of no less than 34 different types of microparticles in sponge tissues. The spectrum ranged from plastics such as polystyrene to cotton and titanium dioxide (TiO2). TiO2 is used in dyes and paints, as well as being a component of sunscreen lotions. Furthermore, the variation in the composition of microparticles in the different samples appears to reflect spatial variations in particle type in the surrounding water.

      The researchers detected between 90 and 600 particles per gram of dried tissue in their sponge samples. "Since sponges can weigh up to several hundred grams, we estimate on the basis of these results that each can accumulate more than 10,000 particles," says Wörheide. "This makes them promising candidates for the task of monitoring the levels of anthropogenic microparticle pollution in the oceans." With the exception of mollusks, few other species have the properties required of marine bioindicators. According to the authors of the study, sponges have several other "qualifications" for the job. They are abundant and are continuously active as filter-feeders. Moreover, measurements of pollution levels can be carried out on tissue samples (biopsies) without affecting the viability of the organisms.

      make a difference: sponsored opportunity

      Story Source:

      Materials provided by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


      Journal Reference:

      1. Elsa B. Girard, Adrian Fuchs, Melanie Kaliwoda, Markus Lasut, Evelyn Ploetz, Wolfgang W. Schmahl, Gert Wörheide. Sponges as bioindicators for microparticulate pollutants? Environmental Pollution, 2020; 115851 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115851

      Cite This Page:

      • MLA
      • APA
      • Chicago
      Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. "Marine biology: Sponges as biomonitors of micropollution." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 October 2020. <www.theclynefaction.com/releases/2020/10/201023123135.htm>.
      Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. (2020, October 23). Marine biology: Sponges as biomonitors of micropollution. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 3, 2020 from www.theclynefaction.com/releases/2020/10/201023123135.htm
      Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. "Marine biology: Sponges as biomonitors of micropollution." ScienceDaily. www.theclynefaction.com/releases/2020/10/201023123135.htm (accessed December 3, 2020).

      • RELATED TOPICS
        • Plants & Animals
          • Fish
          • Marine Biology
          • Sea Life
          • Nature
        • Earth & Climate
          • Pollution
          • Air Quality
          • Air Pollution
          • Environmental Science
      advertisement

      • RELATED TERMS
        • Sponge
        • Marine conservation
        • Southeast Asia coral reefs
        • Marine biology
        • Air pollution
        • Automobile emissions control
        • Wetland
        • Sediment

      1

      2

      3

      4

      5
      RELATED STORIES

      Which Particulate Air Pollution Poses the Greatest Health Risk?
      Nov. 18, 2020 — Researchers have investigated whether particulate matter from certain sources can be especially harmful to human health. They found evidence that the amount of particulate matter alone is not the ...
      Lobster Digestion of Microplastics Could Further Foul the Food Chain
      Apr. 8, 2020 — Tiny fragments of plastic waste are dispersed throughout the environment, including the oceans, where marine organisms can ingest them. However, the subsequent fate of these microplastics in animals ...
      Sponges Collect Penguin, Seal, and Fish DNA from the Water They Filter
      June 3, 2019 — Scientists report that sponges, which can filter 10,000 liters of water daily, catch DNA in their tissues as they filter-feed. This proof-of-concept study identified fish, seal, and penguin DNA in ...
      The Sponges Strike Back
      Feb. 29, 2016 — Biologists studied how the separated sells of marine sponges reconnect. The reaggregation of marine sponges' cells helped the scientists to come closer to understanding of the origin and early ...
      FROM AROUND THE WEB

      ScienceDaily shares links with sites in the TrendMD network and earns revenue from third-party advertisers, where indicated.
        Print   Email   Share

      advertisement

      1

      2

      3

      4

      5
      Most Popular
      this week

      PLANTS & ANIMALS
      (c) (c) SailingAway / AdobeNot Just Lizards: Alligators Can Regrow Their Tails Too, New Study Reveals
      Connection Between Gut Bacteria and Vitamin D Levels
      (c) (c) tampatra / AdobeA Biochemical Random Number
      EARTH & CLIMATE
      (c) (c) CrispyMedia / AdobeTree Rings May Hold Clues to Impacts of Distant Supernovas on Earth
      (c) (c) EvgeniyQW / AdobeClimate Change Causes Landfalling Hurricanes to Stay Stronger for Longer
      New Species Described in 2020
      FOSSILS & RUINS
      Boy or Girl? It's in the Father's Genes
      Ancient Blanket Made With 11,500 Turkey Feathers
      Blue-Eyed Humans Have a Single, Common Ancestor
      advertisement

      Strange & Offbeat
       

      PLANTS & ANIMALS
      Researchers Discover Life in Deep Ocean Sediments at or Above Water's Boiling Point
      Restoring a Rudimentary Form of Vision in the Blind
      Octogenarian Snapper Found Off Australia Becomes Oldest Tropical Reef Fish by Two Decades
      EARTH & CLIMATE
      Researchers Discover Life in Deep Ocean Sediments at or Above Water's Boiling Point
      Cluster of Alaskan Islands Could Be Single, Interconnected Giant Volcano
      Largest Aggregation of Fishes in Abyssal Deep Sea
      FOSSILS & RUINS
      Ancient Blanket Made With 11,500 Turkey Feathers
      T. Rex Had Huge Growth Spurts, but Other Dinos Grew Slow and Steady
      Prehistoric Shark Hid Its Largest Teeth
      SD
      • SD
        • Home Page
        • Top Science News
        • Latest News
      • Home
        • Home Page
        • Top Science News
        • Latest News
      • Health
        • View all the latest top news in the health sciences,
          or browse the topics below:
          Health & Medicine
          • Allergy
          • Alternative Medicine
          • Birth Control
          • Cancer
          • Diabetes
          • Diseases
          • Heart Disease
          • HIV and AIDS
          • Obesity
          • Stem Cells
          • ... more topics
          Mind & Brain
          • ADD and ADHD
          • Addiction
          • Alzheimer's
          • Autism
          • Depression
          • Headaches
          • Intelligence
          • Psychology
          • Relationships
          • Schizophrenia
          • ... more topics
          Living Well
          • Parenting
          • Pregnancy
          • Sexual Health
          • Skin Care
          • Men's Health
          • Women's Health
          • Nutrition
          • Diet and Weight Loss
          • Fitness
          • Healthy Aging
          • ... more topics
      • Tech
        • View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology,
          or browse the topics below:
          Matter & Energy
          • Aviation
          • Chemistry
          • Electronics
          • Fossil Fuels
          • Nanotechnology
          • Physics
          • Quantum Physics
          • Solar Energy
          • Technology
          • Wind Energy
          • ... more topics
          Space & Time
          • Astronomy
          • Black Holes
          • Dark Matter
          • Extrasolar Planets
          • Mars
          • Moon
          • Solar System
          • Space Telescopes
          • Stars
          • Sun
          • ... more topics
          Computers & Math
          • Artificial Intelligence
          • Communications
          • Computer Science
          • Hacking
          • Mathematics
          • Quantum Computers
          • Robotics
          • Software
          • Video Games
          • Virtual Reality
          • ... more topics
      • Enviro
        • View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences,
          or browse the topics below:
          Plants & Animals
          • Agriculture and Food
          • Animals
          • Biology
          • Biotechnology
          • Endangered Animals
          • Extinction
          • Genetically Modified
          • Microbes and More
          • New Species
          • Zoology
          • ... more topics
          Earth & Climate
          • Climate
          • Earthquakes
          • Environment
          • Geography
          • Geology
          • Global Warming
          • Hurricanes
          • Ozone Holes
          • Pollution
          • Weather
          • ... more topics
          Fossils & Ruins
          • Ancient Civilizations
          • Anthropology
          • Archaeology
          • Dinosaurs
          • Early Humans
          • Early Mammals
          • Evolution
          • Lost Treasures
          • Origin of Life
          • Paleontology
          • ... more topics
      • Society
        • View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education,
          or browse the topics below:
          Science & Society
          • Arts & Culture
          • Consumerism
          • Economics
          • Political Science
          • Privacy Issues
          • Public Health
          • Racial Disparity
          • Religion
          • Sports
          • World Development
          • ... more topics
          Business & Industry
          • Biotechnology & Bioengineering
          • Computers & Internet
          • Energy & Resources
          • Engineering
          • Medical Technology
          • Pharmaceuticals
          • Transportation
          • ... more topics
          Education & Learning
          • Animal Learning & Intelligence
          • Creativity
          • Educational Psychology
          • Educational Technology
          • Infant & Preschool Learning
          • Learning Disorders
          • STEM Education
          • ... more topics
      • Quirky
        • Top News
        • Human Quirks
        • Odd Creatures
        • Bizarre Things
        • Weird World
      Free Subscriptions

      Get the latest science news with ScienceDaily's free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

      • Email Newsletters
      • RSS Feeds
      Follow Us

      Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks:

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      Have Feedback?

      Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

      • Leave Feedback
      • Contact Us
      About This Site  |  Staff  |  Reviews  |  Contribute  |  Advertise  |  Privacy Policy  |  Editorial Policy  |  Terms of Use
      Copyright 2020 ScienceDaily or by other parties, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners.
      Content on this website is for information only. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice.
      Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners.
      Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs, where indicated.
      — CCPA: Do Not Sell My Information — — GDPR: Privacy Settings —
      118论坛 118网址之家