Plasticlusters: A marine litter microhabitat in a marina of Tunisia, N Africa

by Juan Sempere-Valverde, Pablo Saenz-Arias, Anastasiia Marynova, Ons Benzarti, Ramla Bouhlel, Carlos Maria López Fe de la Cuadra, José Manuel Guerra-García, Sahar Chebaane
Research article Year: 2024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116389

Abstract

Plastic debris is a significant and rapidly developing ecological issue in coastal marine ecosystems, especially in areas where it accumulates. This study introduces “plasticlusters”, a new form of floating debris agglomeration found in the Yasmine Hammamet marina (Tunisia, North-Africa), loosely attached to pontoon ropes around the water surface level. The analysis of two samples revealed that they were formed primarily by average 2.11 mm polystyrene fragments, 3.43 mm fibers, 104 mm polypropylene and polyethylene sheets, and 122 mm decomposing seagrass leaves. They were inhabited by several taxa, including at least 2 cryptogenic and 5 non-indigenous species (NIS). Unlike other plastic formations, plasticlusters provide a novel and potentially temporal microhabitat to fouling assemblages due to their loose and unconsolidated structure which, combined with marinas being NIS hubs, could enhance NIS dispersion. The results of this study raise concerns about the combined ecological effects of debris accumulation and biocontamination inside marinas.

Keywords

Non-indigenous species Marinas Plastic debris Artificial habitat Floating substrata