article · Marine Pollution Bulletin
This study investigated organisms attached to various types of stranded marine litter along eight beaches on India's southeast coast. Researchers identified 17 encrusting species from seven phyla on 367 litter items, including plastic, glass, and wood. Key species found were bryozoans, barnacles, and oysters. Notably, the invasive mussel Mytella strigata was detected, and four species were recorded on stranded litter for the first time. The research establishes marine litter as a vector for species dispersal in India, a country with high plastic production and consumption. It highlights an increasing risk of invasions by non-indigenous organisms transported on debris, emphasising the need for monitoring and public awareness.
Marine litter, particularly plastic, is not just an aesthetic problem; it actively transports marine life, including invasive species, to new areas. This can disrupt local ecosystems, threaten native biodiversity, and have wider ecological and economic consequences, making effective management crucial.
The abstract does not indicate a direct application pathway for commercialisation. It highlights an environmental problem and calls for monitoring efforts, awareness campaigns, and education programmes to combat plastic pollution and mitigate the risk of invasive species.
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Increasing amount of anthropogenic litter in the marine environment has provided an enormous number of substrates for a wide range of marine organisms, thus serving as a potential vector for the transport of fouling organisms. Here, we examined the fouling organisms on different types of stranded litter (plastic, glass, rubber, foam sponge, cloth, metal and wood) on eight beaches along the southeast coast of India. In total, 17 encrusting species belonging to seven phyla (Arthropoda, Bryozoa, Mollusca, Annelida, Cnidaria, Chlorophyta and Foraminifera) were identified on 367 items, with one invasive species, the mussel Mytella strigata, detected. The most common species associated with marine litter were the cosmopolitan bryozoans Jellyella tuberculata (%O = 31.64 %) and J. eburnea (28.61 %), the barnacle species Lepas anserifera (29.97 %), Amphibalanus amphitrite (22.34 %) and Amphibalanus sp. (14.16 %), and the oyster species Saccostrea cucullata (13.62 %) and Magallana bilineata (5.44 %). We also reported the first records on stranded litter of four species: the gastropod species Pirenella cingulata and Umbonium vestiarium, the foraminiferan Ammonia beccarii, and the oyster M. bilineata. This study is thus the first documentation of marine litter as a vector for species dispersal in India, where the production and consumption of plastic rank among the highest in the world. We also highlight the increasing risk of invasions by non-indigenous organisms attached to debris along the southeast coast of India. Comprehensive monitoring efforts are thus needed to elucidate the type of vectors responsible for the arrival of invasive species in this region. Raising awareness and promoting education are vital components in fostering sustainable solutions to combat plastic pollution in the country and globally.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115469
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