239
12.3 Abstracts of Poster Presentations
12.3.1 Does Heat Stress Amplify the Negative
Effects of Microplastics on the Blue Mussel
Mytilus edulis?
Kyra Paulweber
1*
, Nadine Yvonne Müller
2
, Mark Lenz
3
1
Department of Natural Resource Conservation, Faculty
of Agricultural und Nutritional Sciences, Kiel University,
Olshausenstraße 40, House I, 24118 Kiel, Germany
2
Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Marine Sciences,
Rostock University, Albert Einstein Straße 3, 18059 Rostock
3
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel,
Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
*corresponding author: kyra.paul@icloud.com
Keywords: Microplastics, Global warming, Filter feeders,
Mytilus edulis, Interactive effects, BCI
Nowadays microplastic particles are ubiquitous in the
marine environment. Because of their small size (< 5 mm),
positive buoyancy and their low degradation rates, they are
transported quickly across great distances and accumulate
even in remote ecosystems. They can negatively affect marine
benthic filter feeders, like the blue mussel Mytilus edulis,
which ingest micro-sized plastic particles together with their
food. In addition to this pollution, sea surface temperatures
worldwide rise as a consequence of global warming, putting a
further pressure on mussels in shallow water habitats. While
there is good knowledge about the effects of heat stress and
microplastic pollution separately, we know little about possible interactive effects of these two stressors. Therefore, we
tested whether elevated temperatures can amplify the negative
effects of microplastics on blue mussels in a laboratory experiment. For this, mussels from the Menai Strait, Wales, where
14 °C is the ambient summer sea surface temperature, were
exposed to three temperature levels (14 °C, 17 °C, 20 °C) and
four microplastic concentrations (0, 2, 20, 200 mg/L), simultaneously. After 79 days of exposure, the Body Condition Index
(BCI) of the mussels was found to decrease with increasing
water temperature and with increasing microplastic concentration. However, the latter effect was less pronounced at 17 °C
and 20 °C than at 14 °C. This was due to the fact that the BCI
at the two elevated temperature levels was generally lower.
Although no interactions between the two factors emerged,
the elevated temperatures obviously had a stronger impact on
Mytilus edulis than the applied microplastic concentrations.
We discuss these results in the light of the increasing public
and scientific awareness of microplastics as an additional
stressor in marine ecosystems.
12.3.2 Microplastic Occurrence in North Sea
Surface Waters
Lisa Roscher
1*
, Claudia Lorenz
1
, Sebastian Primpke
1
,
Gunnar Gertds
1
1
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz Zentrum für Polarund Meeresforschung, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland,
Kurpromenade 201, 27498 Helgoland, Germany
*corresponding author: lisa.roscher@awi.de
Keywords: Microplastics, North Sea, Infrared
Spectroscopy
The global plastic production is increasing steadily.
More and more studies focus on the occurrence of microplastics, i.e., synthetic organic polymers with a size <
5 mm, in environmental samples. These pollutants are
omnipresent and hardly degradable. They are easily
ingested by a wide range of animals throughout the food
web and may act as a vector for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). For a valid evaluation of microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems appropriate assessment strategies
are crucial. By now, no standardized sampling and analysis
techniques are available, which is urgently needed in order
to generate solid and comparable data bases. In this work,
state-of-the-art methods were used for the identification
and quantification of microplastics in North Sea neuston
samples. The samples were split into two size fractions, on
which two different methodological approaches were
applied. Microplastics > 500 μm were extracted using a stereomicroscope, followed by polymer identification via
Attenuated Total Reflection based Fourier Transform
Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR). For the size fraction <
500 μm, more complex methodologies were employed: a
recently developed enzymatic purification protocol was
used in order to extract microplastics from the sample
matrix. This was conducted in a novel filtration system
(Microplastic-Reactor), followed by spectroscopic analysis
via focal plane array based μ-Fourier-Transform Infrared
spectroscopy (μFTIR-FPA). A subsequent automated analysis provided detailed information on particle number and
sizes as well as chemical composition. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 0 to 2.5 m
−3
(0–2.7 × 10
5
km
−2
) in
the size fraction > 500 μm and from 16.1 to 393.1 m
−3
(1.3 × 10
6
to 4.3 × 10
7
km
−2
) in the size fraction < 500 μm.
Small-sized particles clearly dominated in both fractions.
In total, 17 different synthetic polymers were detected with
comparably high abundances of polyethylene, polypropylene, varnish and rubber, possibly originating from landbased sources or shipping activities.
12.3.3 Does Microplastic Induce Oxidative Stress
in Marine Invertebrates?
Sarah Riesbeck
1,2*
, Lars Gutow
2
, Reinhard Saborowski
2
1
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Karolinenplatz 5,
64289 Darmstadt, Germany
2
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
*corresponding author: sarah.riesbeck@awi.de
Appendices
12.3 Abstracts of Poster Presentations
12.3.1 Does Heat Stress Amplify the Negative
Effects of Microplastics on the Blue Mussel
Mytilus edulis?
Kyra Paulweber
1*
, Nadine Yvonne Müller
2
, Mark Lenz
3
1
Department of Natural Resource Conservation, Faculty
of Agricultural und Nutritional Sciences, Kiel University,
Olshausenstraße 40, House I, 24118 Kiel, Germany
2
Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Marine Sciences,
Rostock University, Albert Einstein Straße 3, 18059 Rostock
3
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel,
Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
*corresponding author: kyra.paul@icloud.com
Keywords: Microplastics, Global warming, Filter feeders,
Mytilus edulis, Interactive effects, BCI
Nowadays microplastic particles are ubiquitous in the
marine environment. Because of their small size (< 5 mm),
positive buoyancy and their low degradation rates, they are
transported quickly across great distances and accumulate
even in remote ecosystems. They can negatively affect marine
benthic filter feeders, like the blue mussel Mytilus edulis,
which ingest micro-sized plastic particles together with their
food. In addition to this pollution, sea surface temperatures
worldwide rise as a consequence of global warming, putting a
further pressure on mussels in shallow water habitats. While
there is good knowledge about the effects of heat stress and
microplastic pollution separately, we know little about possible interactive effects of these two stressors. Therefore, we
tested whether elevated temperatures can amplify the negative
effects of microplastics on blue mussels in a laboratory experiment. For this, mussels from the Menai Strait, Wales, where
14 °C is the ambient summer sea surface temperature, were
exposed to three temperature levels (14 °C, 17 °C, 20 °C) and
four microplastic concentrations (0, 2, 20, 200 mg/L), simultaneously. After 79 days of exposure, the Body Condition Index
(BCI) of the mussels was found to decrease with increasing
water temperature and with increasing microplastic concentration. However, the latter effect was less pronounced at 17 °C
and 20 °C than at 14 °C. This was due to the fact that the BCI
at the two elevated temperature levels was generally lower.
Although no interactions between the two factors emerged,
the elevated temperatures obviously had a stronger impact on
Mytilus edulis than the applied microplastic concentrations.
We discuss these results in the light of the increasing public
and scientific awareness of microplastics as an additional
stressor in marine ecosystems.
12.3.2 Microplastic Occurrence in North Sea
Surface Waters
Lisa Roscher
1*
, Claudia Lorenz
1
, Sebastian Primpke
1
,
Gunnar Gertds
1
1
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz Zentrum für Polarund Meeresforschung, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland,
Kurpromenade 201, 27498 Helgoland, Germany
*corresponding author: lisa.roscher@awi.de
Keywords: Microplastics, North Sea, Infrared
Spectroscopy
The global plastic production is increasing steadily.
More and more studies focus on the occurrence of microplastics, i.e., synthetic organic polymers with a size <
5 mm, in environmental samples. These pollutants are
omnipresent and hardly degradable. They are easily
ingested by a wide range of animals throughout the food
web and may act as a vector for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). For a valid evaluation of microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems appropriate assessment strategies
are crucial. By now, no standardized sampling and analysis
techniques are available, which is urgently needed in order
to generate solid and comparable data bases. In this work,
state-of-the-art methods were used for the identification
and quantification of microplastics in North Sea neuston
samples. The samples were split into two size fractions, on
which two different methodological approaches were
applied. Microplastics > 500 μm were extracted using a stereomicroscope, followed by polymer identification via
Attenuated Total Reflection based Fourier Transform
Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR). For the size fraction <
500 μm, more complex methodologies were employed: a
recently developed enzymatic purification protocol was
used in order to extract microplastics from the sample
matrix. This was conducted in a novel filtration system
(Microplastic-Reactor), followed by spectroscopic analysis
via focal plane array based μ-Fourier-Transform Infrared
spectroscopy (μFTIR-FPA). A subsequent automated analysis provided detailed information on particle number and
sizes as well as chemical composition. Microplastic concentrations ranged from 0 to 2.5 m
−3
(0–2.7 × 10
5
km
−2
) in
the size fraction > 500 μm and from 16.1 to 393.1 m
−3
(1.3 × 10
6
to 4.3 × 10
7
km
−2
) in the size fraction < 500 μm.
Small-sized particles clearly dominated in both fractions.
In total, 17 different synthetic polymers were detected with
comparably high abundances of polyethylene, polypropylene, varnish and rubber, possibly originating from landbased sources or shipping activities.
12.3.3 Does Microplastic Induce Oxidative Stress
in Marine Invertebrates?
Sarah Riesbeck
1,2*
, Lars Gutow
2
, Reinhard Saborowski
2
1
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Karolinenplatz 5,
64289 Darmstadt, Germany
2
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
*corresponding author: sarah.riesbeck@awi.de
Appendices