Lunchtime Discovery: If You “Build” It, They Will Come

Опубликовано: 01 Январь 1970
на канале: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

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If You “Build” It, They Will Come: Ocean Plastic Debris is Being Colonized by Coastal Species

Megan I. McCuller, Collections Manager, Non-molluscan Invertebrates, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Marine biologists have long believed that coastal marine invertebrates are incapable of surviving in the open ocean for a lengthy period of time due to their relatively low productivity. However, studies of Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris washed ashore on the US West coast and plastic collected from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch show that coastal species can not only survive a multi-year trek across the Pacific, but also now appear to have established reproducing populations on floating debris. These findings suggest that what had historically limited coastal species in the open ocean may have been a lack of permanent non-biodegradable substrate, which is now plentiful and increasing in the form of a wide variety of plastic products.