Increased oceanic microplastic debris enhances oviposition in an endemic pelagic insect

Miriam C. Goldstein; Marci Rosenberg; Lanna Cheng

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2012.0298

journal article May 09, 2012

Increased oceanic microplastic debris enhances oviposition in an endemic pelagic insect

Miriam C. Goldstein Marci Rosenberg Lanna Cheng

Biology Letters Vol. 8 No. 5 pp. 817-820 · The Royal Society

View at Publisher Save 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0298

Abstract

Plastic pollution in the form of small particles (diameter less than 5 mm)—termed ‘microplastic’—has been observed in many parts of the world ocean. They are known to interact with biota on the individual level, e.g. through ingestion, but their population-level impacts are largely unknown. One potential mechanism for microplastic-induced alteration of pelagic ecosystems is through the introduction of hard-substrate habitat to ecosystems where it is naturally rare. Here, we show that microplastic concentrations in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) have increased by two orders of magnitude in the past four decades, and that this increase has released the pelagic insect
Halobates sericeus
from substrate limitation for oviposition. High concentrations of microplastic in the NPSG resulted in a positive correlation between
H. sericeus
and microplastic, and an overall increase in
H. sericeus
egg densities. Predation on
H. sericeus
eggs and recent hatchlings may facilitate the transfer of energy between pelagic- and substrate-associated assemblages. The dynamics of hard-substrate-associated organisms may be important to understanding the ecological impacts of oceanic microplastic pollution.

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Details

Published: May 09, 2012
Vol/Issue: 8(5)
Pages: 817-820
License: View

Authors

M

Miriam C. Goldstein

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA

M

Marci Rosenberg

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

L

Lanna Cheng

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA

Cite This Article

Miriam C. Goldstein, Marci Rosenberg, Lanna Cheng (2012). Increased oceanic microplastic debris enhances oviposition in an endemic pelagic insect. Biology Letters, 8(5), 817-820. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0298

Increased oceanic microplastic debris enhances oviposition in an endemic pelagic insect

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