Honors College Theses

Publication Date

11-1-2022

Major

Biology (B.S.B.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Michele Guidone

Abstract

Microplastic pollution is a major area of concern in marine environments, especially as microplastics enter the food web. This study used pipe cleaners and two lichen species as algal mimics, and Chaetomorpha sp. and Chondrus crispus as model algal species to test the effects of morphology and biomass on microbead and foam capture. This study also utilized two different water flow methods: vortices and waves. Results suggest that water flow, as well as biomass and morphology, play a role in microplastic capture in macroalgae. For all mimics and algal species, except Cladonia lichens, turfs with increased biomass and length showed a trend, significant in some cases, to interact with and retain more beads. For Cladonia, smaller turfs in the waves simulation retained significantly more beads. Foam results were more varied with longer Cladonia capturing significantly more foam, pipe cleaners showing no significant difference or trend, and short Chaetomorpha sp. capturing significantly more foam. The complex results obtained suggest the interaction of several factors in microplastic capture and the need for future research in this area to develop pollution mitigation strategies and decrease the entrance of microplastics into the food web.

Thesis Summary

Microplastic pollution is a major area of concern in marine environments, especially as microplastics enter the food web. This study used pipe cleaners and two lichen species as algal mimics, and Chaetomorpha sp. and Chondrus crispus as model algal species to test the effects of morphology and biomass on microbead and foam capture in two different water flow simulations. The complex results obtained suggest the interaction of several factors in microplastic capture and the need for future research in this area to develop pollution mitigation strategies and decrease the entrance of microplastics into the food web.

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