Microplastic Pollution

Microplastic pollution is a serious problem worldwide. In fact, plastic debris is now estimated to outweigh fish in some parts of the ocean. Plastic debris is not only harmful to marine wildlife, but it’s also toxic to humans. It can enter the food chain and accumulate in our bodies, causing severe health problems.   Corals have been shown to be able to filter out microplastics from seawater. However, they do not seem to be able to break down these plastics once they have accumulated inside their coral reef habitats.

 A study published in Scientific Reports recently showed that corals may actually be storing a surprising amount of micro-plastics in their skeletons. Researchers collected samples of coral reefs around the world and found that the average concentration of microplastics was between 0.06% and 1.8%. These concentrations were much higher than those previously reported.  The researchers believe that corals could be filtering out microplastics from the water, but that they cannot break them down once they have accumulated inside the coral reef habitat.

The scientists suggest that corals may be using the microplastics as a way to protect themselves from predators. If the microplastics are ingested by the predator, then the coral would no longer need to expend energy breaking them down. The researchers say that further studies should look at how corals use microplastics to protect themselves from predators and whether or not they can break them down once they are inside the coral reef habitat, as well as what happens if they get stuck inside the coral reef habitat and start accumulating over time.