The challenge

Due to their small size and longevity, microplastics are now pervasive across all corners of the global environment. Very few, if any, ecosystems have been able to avoid plastic becoming part of the food chain. 

What we're doing

Foraminifera (forams) are microscopic organisms that are most commonly used in Earth Sciences as a means to define a geological age or reconstruct changing environmental conditions, including those that lead to extinction events or intervals of global ocean heating or cooling. Today, forams are widely distributed across the global ocean, spanning the seafloor (benthic foraminifera) and the water column (planktic foraminifera).  

To date, investigations into the impact of microplastics on marine organisms have largely focused on charismatic large mammals or fish, in part due to their ecological importance as keystone taxa and their relevance to human food supply. However, the effect of contaminants moving up the food chain can lead to significant concentration of pollutants. To date, only four studies of microplastics in forams exist and all of those were conducted on benthic species, with no studies on planktic species.  

This project will ascertain to what extent open-ocean forams already contain microplastics; whether they actively ingest microplastics and whether this has an effect on feeding and survival; and whether these microplastics are then incorporated within their shell walls. 

How it helps

Microplastics are pervasive, but research in this area is still relatively new and we are still in the early stages of uncovering the extent of the problem. This project will contribute to our understanding of how microplastics are being incorporated into the food chain and the threat to marine ecosystems. 

Investigators

• Dr Lewis Alcott, School of Earth Sciences 
• Dr Michael Henehan, School of Earth Sciences 
• Dr Charlotte Lloyd, School of Geographical Sciences 
• Dr Adam Woodhouse, School of Earth Sciences