The fate and impacts of microplastics in marine systems

In addition, this study also showed that there is incomparability among microplastics studies in the literature, particularly in terms of units of measurement. Through an analysis of benthic sediment samples, I demonstrate that high levels of microplastics are present in Antarctic deep-sea regions, and in an economically important fishing ground in the Irish Sea. I also show that novel functional response analyses can be used to determine the impacts of microplastic pollution on predator-prey interactions and ecosystems dynamics.

Finally, I highlight that microplastics can affect the mechanisms in which marine animals such as hermit crabs compete for resources. The data and results presented in this thesis provides valuable information on the accumulation of microplastics globally, and their effects on ecosystem functionality and key survival behaviours. Given that microplastics are a complex pollutant, this thesis encourages new studies to be more comparable and highlights the challenges of aiming for environmental relevance when conducting laboratory-based studies.

These suggestions will help to increase our understanding of marine microplastic pollution in a more unified way.