Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026
09:31
Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Research by Exploring Climate Change Resistance, Ex Situ Aquaculture, and Reproduction Strategies
Published on: June 23, 2023
2.0K
Scleractinian coral microplastic ingestion: Potential calcification effects, size limits, and retention
Cheryl Hankins1, Allyn Duffy1, Kathryn Drisco2
1United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Health & Environmental Effects, Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, 1 Sabine Island Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561, USA.
Marine Pollution Bulletin
|October 11, 2018
Summary
Microplastics do not affect coral calcification but can be ingested and expelled by coral species like Montastraea cavernosa and Orbicella faveolata. Further research is needed on the energetic impacts of microplastic ingestion and egestion.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Environmental Science
- Ecotoxicology
Background:
- Microplastic pollution is a growing global concern, with largely unknown impacts on marine ecosystems.
- Scleractinian corals, vital reef-building organisms, may be particularly vulnerable to microplastic contamination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of microplastics on coral calcification.
- To determine the size limits of microplastic ingestion by corals.
- To assess the retention times of ingested microplastics within coral tissues.
Main Methods:
- Experiments exposed two Caribbean coral species, Montastraea cavernosa and Orbicella faveolata, to microbeads and microfibers.
- Coral calcification rates were measured over a two-day exposure period.
- Ingestion and expulsion of microplastics of various sizes and types were monitored.
Main Results:
- No significant effects on coral calcification were observed after a two-day exposure to 30 mg/L microbeads.
- Corals ingested microbeads ranging from 425 micrometers to 2.8 mm, but did not ingest a 212-250 micrometer size class.
- Most ingested microbeads were expelled within 48 hours; ingestion and retention times did not differ between microbeads and microfibers.
Conclusions:
- Caribbean corals can ingest and egest microplastics, with size playing a role in ingestion.
- Corals demonstrate an ability to recognize and reject indigestible materials.
- Further research is required to understand the energetic consequences and long-term effects of microplastic ingestion and egestion on coral health.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area
1.7K
Dissolution kinetics, an essential aspect of oral drug delivery, is significantly influenced by the drug's particle size. According to the Noyes-Whitney dissolution model, the dissolution rate correlates directly with the drug's surface area. The larger the surface area, the higher the drug's solubility in water, leading to a faster drug dissolution rate. Reducing particle size increases the effective surface area, enhancing the dissolution process. Micronization and nanosizing are...
1.7K
02:27Limiting Reactant
70.1K
The relative amounts of reactants and products represented in a balanced chemical equation are often referred to as stoichiometric amounts. However, in reality, the reactants are not always present in the stoichiometric amounts indicated by the balanced equation.
70.1K
01:22Physiology of the Gastrointestinal System I: Ingestion and Propulsion
2.0K
The physiology of the gastrointestinal system begins with ingestion as food enters the mouth.
2.0K
01:29The Number e as a Limit
87
The number e is a fundamental constant in calculus, playing a central role in describing continuous change, particularly exponential growth. It is most naturally defined through its relationship with the natural logarithm, which is the inverse of the exponential function with base e. This relationship allows e to be characterized using basic principles of differentiation rather than as an arbitrary numerical constant.A key property of the natural logarithm function, ln x, is that its derivative...
87
02:59Biological Effects of Radiation
17.9K
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they...
17.9K
01:23Types of Limits I
185
Limits are a key mathematical concept for understanding how functions behave as their input approaches specific values, particularly when the function is undefined. They help reveal trends and discontinuities by examining the values a function approaches rather than its actual value.One-sided limits focus on the direction from which a value is approached. When a function behaves differently depending on whether the input approaches from the left or the right, the two one-sided limits may not...
185