A call to evaluate Plastic's impacts on marine benthic ecosystem interaction networks

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecology
• Marine Biology

Background:

• Plastic pollution is pervasive, entering natural habitats and raising concerns about ecosystem services.
• Laboratory studies indicate potential impacts on ecosystem structure and function, but field observations are lacking.
• Concerns extend beyond toxicity to fundamental ecosystem processes like primary production and nutrient cycling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current knowledge on plastic pollution's effects on marine benthic ecosystem function.
• To hypothesize that plastics act as recalcitrant carbon molecules in biogeochemical cycles.
• To advocate for research advancements in field experiments, ecological network analysis, and carbon cycling assessments.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing research on plastic pollution and ecosystem function.
• Synthesis of laboratory findings and ecological theory.
• Identification of knowledge gaps and future research directions.

Main Results:

• Plastic pollution poses a threat to ecosystem services crucial for life and the economy.
• Plastics may play a role similar to natural recalcitrant carbon in biogeochemical processes.
• Current understanding of plastic impacts in natural, complex ecosystems is limited.

Conclusions:

• Further field research is essential to understand plastic's real-world ecological impacts.
• Assessing plastic's role in carbon cycling is critical for understanding its global biogeochemical significance.
• Investigating ecological network disturbances caused by plastics is necessary for comprehensive impact assessment.