Publications by authors named "Maria B Alfonso"

Microplastic (MP) contamination in fish may occur via their feeding behavior and ingestion of contaminated prey. This study investigated the presence of MPs in the predator Lutjanus russellii (Russell's snapper) and its prey along the Chumphon coast of the Central Gulf of Thailand. Stomach contents of L.

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Research on microplastics must be harmonized. Therefore, we thoroughly evaluated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, addressing challenges and priorities in protocol harmonization and microplastics research promotion. Of the 615 papers searched by the Web of Science, 164 were used for this systematic review.

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Article Synopsis
  • Coral polyps consist of three parts: surface mucus, tissue, and skeleton, which can accumulate microplastics (MPs) to different extents, but research on this is limited.
  • In a study of four coral species from Si Chang Island, P. cf. damicornis showed the highest MP accumulation, especially in its skeleton, with fragments being the most common type.
  • The most frequent colors found were black, white, and blue, with nylon and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) being the major polymer types identified; this study highlights the importance of understanding MP accumulation patterns in corals globally.
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Microplastics could be ingested by many organisms, including zooplankton, involving bioaccumulation and biomagnification mechanisms a cross food webs. The information about microplastic ingestion by zooplankton keeps increasing worldwide. However, it is still limited for particle sizes under 300 μm (small microplastics, SMPs) and in areas such as Southeast Asia, which is considered one of the hotspots for plastic debris.

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  • Southeast Asian countries contribute significantly to ocean plastic waste, with a study conducted on Si Chang Island revealing microplastic (MP) pollution levels ranging from 0.02 to 42.46 particles per meter across different seasons.
  • Seasonal factors like precipitation, wind, and currents from monsoons significantly influence the abundance and distribution of MPs, highlighting a notable pattern of environmental impact.
  • The study proposes that UV exposure in dry seasons and heavy rains in wet seasons contribute to the generation and dispersal of MPs, posing a threat to coral reef ecosystems and suggesting that increased monitoring of microplastics is essential in these vulnerable areas.
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  • Significant efforts have been made to understand the impact of microplastics (MPs) in oceans, but inconsistencies in research methods remain, especially for smaller particles.
  • Ingesting plastic particles can disrupt aquatic food chains, with zooplankton serving as an important indicator for measuring MPs in ocean waters.
  • This review highlights the benefits of using zooplankton in MPs research, including improved sampling techniques and insights into toxicity studies, to enhance the understanding and analysis of microplastics in marine environments.
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  • Plastic debris is widely found in freshwater ecosystems, but assessing its distribution is challenging due to a lack of consistent data.
  • A standardized survey of 38 lakes and reservoirs identified that plastic pollution is present in all studied locations, indicating these ecosystems are significantly affected by plastic contamination.
  • The study reveals that urbanized lakes and large bodies of water with specific characteristics are particularly susceptible to high levels of plastic, stressing the need to consider these freshwater areas in pollution management efforts.
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Ponds are often identified by their small size and shallow depths, but the lack of a universal evidence-based definition hampers science and weakens legal protection. Here, we compile existing pond definitions, compare ecosystem metrics (e.g.

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The increasing landscape alterations due to anthropogenic activities is of global concern since it affects aquatic ecosystems, often resulting in compromise of the ecological integrity and the water quality. In this sense, the evaluation, monitoring, and prediction of the aquatic ecosystem quality becomes an important research subject. This study presents the first integrated water quality assessment of the Sauce Grande River Basin, in Argentina, based on the spatial distribution of the phytoplankton community, the physicochemical parameters, and the metal concentrations (Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) found in the particulate fraction.

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Evidence shows that the majority of aquatic field microplastics (MPs) could be microfibers (MFs) which can be originated directly from massive sources such as textile production and shedding from garments, agricultural textiles and clothes washing. In addition, wear and tear of tyres (TRWPs) emerges as a stealthy major source of micro and nanoplastics, commonly under-sampled/detected in the field. In order to compile the current knowledge in regards to these two major MPs sources, concentrations of concern in aquatic environments, their distribution, bulk emission rates and water mitigation strategies were systematically reviewed.

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Microplastics (MP) were recognized as an emergent pollution problem due to their ubiquitous nature and bioaccumulative potential. Those present in salt for consumption could represent a human exposure route through dietary uptake. The current study, conducted in Bangladesh, reports microplastics contamination in coarse salt prepared for human consumption.

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Digestion protocols are needed to determine microplastics abundance and features. This study assessed the organic matter (OM) digestion efficiency on plankton samples and the MPs' weight, size, and polymer changes under different digestion techniques. For this, 2-step (KOH and HO + Fe) and 3-step (2-step and enzymes) digestion techniques were assessed under different duration and temperature conditions.

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Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous contaminants of great concern for the environment. MPs' presence and concentration in the air, soil, marine, and freshwater environments have been reported as a matter of priority in recent years. This review addresses the current knowledge of the main pathways of MPs in air, soil, and freshwater reservoirs in order to provide an integrated understanding of their behaviors in the continental environment.

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Plastic use and production have dramatically increased globally over the past 65 years with the improvement of life quality by the daily use of plastic products. Still, around 50% of the plastic produced is disposable products that generate substantial waste. Several reports pointed out the adverse effects of plastic litter in coastal environments in recent years, emphasizing single-use plastics (SUP).

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Microplastics (MPs) on lakes have been reported mainly from Europe, Asia, and North America. Then, this study aimed to address the quantification and identification of MPs in nine lakes from the Argentine Patagonian Region. Blue colored fibers were dominant, with a size range between 0.

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This study address for the first time in Argentina and the South American continent the effect of water management on the presence of microplastics (MPs) in a shallow lake, assessing their contribution to the zooplankton fraction. Water samples were collected in the lake and its principal affluent, an irrigation channel, from winter 2018 to summer 2019 with a zooplankton net (47 μm). MPs were present in all analyzed samples, with a dominance of fibers, black color, and ≤ 1000 μm range size.

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