Publicação
Caracterização de comunidades incrustantes de diferentes substratos de plástico
| Resumo: | Plastic pollution poses an increasing threat to marine ecosystems. The accumulation of plastics in these environments provides new surfaces for colonization by fouling communities, composed of sessile organisms such as bryozoans, barnacles, tunicates, and polychaetes. Due to their durability and buoyancy, these artificial substrates can act as vectors for the dispersal of organisms, including non-indigenous species (NIS), potentially altering local communities. This study aimed to characterize the fouling communities associated with different plastic polymers using an integrative approach that combines morphological and molecular identification methods. Plastic plates made of various polymers were deployed at two depths: near the surface (0.5 m) and near the bottom (12 m) and retrieved after two immersion periods (3 and 12 months) in Albufeira coastal lagoon. Morphological identification followed the standardized protocol developed by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, while molecular identification was performed through high-throughput sequencing (metabarcoding) of the COI and 18S rRNA genes. Although the results revealed differences in community composition over time, depth, and between plastic types, no specific affinity was observed between fouling organisms and the different polymers, suggesting that other factors may have had a greater influence on colonization. A total of 57 fouling taxa were identified, of which 12 were non-indigenous species (NIS). Molecular techniques enabled the exclusive identification of 66.7% of the fouling taxa and 75% of the NIS. These findings underscore the importance of integrating both morphological and molecular approaches to enhance the effectiveness of monitoring programs. Given the role of plastics as vectors for NIS dispersal and introduction, understanding their relationship with these materials is essential for developing strategies to prevent and mitigate the introduction and establishment of such species. |
|---|---|
| Autores principais: | Queiroga,Raquel Martins |
| Assunto: | Benthic macroinvertebrates Metabarcoding Non-indigenous species Polymers Albufeira Coastal Lagoon |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | português |
| Origem: | Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa |
| Resumo: | Plastic pollution poses an increasing threat to marine ecosystems. The accumulation of plastics in these environments provides new surfaces for colonization by fouling communities, composed of sessile organisms such as bryozoans, barnacles, tunicates, and polychaetes. Due to their durability and buoyancy, these artificial substrates can act as vectors for the dispersal of organisms, including non-indigenous species (NIS), potentially altering local communities. This study aimed to characterize the fouling communities associated with different plastic polymers using an integrative approach that combines morphological and molecular identification methods. Plastic plates made of various polymers were deployed at two depths: near the surface (0.5 m) and near the bottom (12 m) and retrieved after two immersion periods (3 and 12 months) in Albufeira coastal lagoon. Morphological identification followed the standardized protocol developed by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, while molecular identification was performed through high-throughput sequencing (metabarcoding) of the COI and 18S rRNA genes. Although the results revealed differences in community composition over time, depth, and between plastic types, no specific affinity was observed between fouling organisms and the different polymers, suggesting that other factors may have had a greater influence on colonization. A total of 57 fouling taxa were identified, of which 12 were non-indigenous species (NIS). Molecular techniques enabled the exclusive identification of 66.7% of the fouling taxa and 75% of the NIS. These findings underscore the importance of integrating both morphological and molecular approaches to enhance the effectiveness of monitoring programs. Given the role of plastics as vectors for NIS dispersal and introduction, understanding their relationship with these materials is essential for developing strategies to prevent and mitigate the introduction and establishment of such species. |
|---|
Atividades financiadas
Não foram encontrados projetos financiados.