Communications Biology (Mar 2021)

Multiple impacts of microplastics can threaten marine habitat-forming species

  • Cinzia Corinaldesi,
  • Sara Canensi,
  • Antonio Dell’Anno,
  • Michael Tangherlini,
  • Iole Di Capua,
  • Stefano Varrella,
  • Trevor J. Willis,
  • Carlo Cerrano,
  • Roberto Danovaro

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01961-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Corinaldesi et al. investigated the biological responses to microplastic contamination of the red coral Corallium rubrum, a genus with near global distribution. Microplastics caused feeding impairment, tissue damage, altered gene expression, oxidative DNA damage and microbiome alteration. Such diverse deleterious effects may be generalizable to other habitat-forming suspension and filter feeders given the burgeoning levels of microplastic contamination across the world’s oceans.