Sponges as bioindicators for microparticulate pollutants?

Amongst other threats, the world’s oceans are faced with man-made pollution, including an increasing number of microparticulate pollutants. Sponges, aquatic filter-feeding animals, able to incorporate fine foreign particles, and thus may be a potential bioindicator for To address this question, 15 coral reef demosponges sampled around Bangka Island (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) were analyzed nature their particle content using traditional histological methods, advanced light microscopy, Raman spectroscopy. Sampled sponges accumulated embedded very sediment fraction (<200 μm), absent in surrounding sand, ectosome (outer epithelia) spongin fibers (skeletal elements), which was confirmed by two-photon microscopy. A total 34 different types identified, degraded products, i.e., polystyrene, particulate cotton, titanium dioxide blue-pigmented incorporated eight specimens at concentrations between 91 612 particle/g dry sponge tissue. As can weigh several hundreds grams, we conservatively extrapolate that on average 10,000 pollutants The uptake however, appears independent material, suggests fluctuation material ratios is due spatial variation microparticles. Therefore, particle-bearing have strong biomonitor pollutants, such as microplastics industrial products.