Plastic in the inferno: Microplastic contamination in deep-sea cephalopods (Vampyroteuthis infernalis and Abralia veranyi) from the southwestern Atlantic

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 174; no. 2; p. 113309
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Guilherme V.B., Justino, Anne K.S., Eduardo, Leandro Nolé, Lenoble, Véronique, Fauvelle, Vincent, Schmidt, Natascha, Junior, Teodoro Vaske, Frédou, Thierry, Lucena-Frédou, Flávia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2022; Elsevier BV; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abralia veranyi; Animals; Biota; Cephalopods; Chemical Sciences; Colour; Contamination; Decapodiformes; Deep sea; Deep sea environments; Deep water; Deep-sea squids; Ecosystem; Environmental perception; Faecal pellets; Foraging; Marine ecosystems; Marine litter; Marine molluscs; Mesopelagic zone; Microplastics; Ocean basins; Oceanic islands; Octopodiformes; Other; Plastic debris; Plastic pollution; Plastics; Polymers; Squid; Surface water; Vampyroteuthis infernalis; Mesopelagic zone; Deep-sea squids; Plastics; Marine litter; Oceanic islands; Marine Litter
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113309

Microplastics are a relevant environmental concern in marine ecosystems due to their ubiquity. However, knowledge on their dispersion patterns within the ocean basin and the interaction with biota are scarce and mostly limited to surface waters. This study investigated microplastic contamination in two species of deep-sea cephalopods from the southwestern Atlantic with different ecological behaviour: the vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) and the midwater squid (Abralia veranyi). Microplastic contaminated most of the evaluated specimens. V. infernalis showed higher levels of contamination (9.58 ± 8.25 particles individual−1; p < 0.05) than A. veranyi (2.37 ± 2.13 part. ind.−1), likely due to the feeding strategy of V. infernalis as a faecal pellets feeder. The size of extracted microplastics was inversely proportional to the depth of foraging. The microplastics were highly heterogeneous in composition (shape, colour and polymer type). Our results provide information regarding microplastic interaction with deep-sea organisms and evidence of the biological influence in the microplastic sinking mechanism.
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•The first evidence of microplastic in deep-sea cephalopods from the south Atlantic•The vampire squid is more vulnerable to contamination due to feeding on marine snow.•Depth of foraging influences the size of ingested microplastics•Most particles extracted from both species were smaller than 1 mm.•The migratory behaviour may influence the vertical distribution of microplastics.