海洋生物对微塑料迁移转化的调控作用

近年来,海洋微塑料污染已成为全球关注的重要环境问题。海洋中广泛存在的微塑料可被藻类吸附、微生物定植,亦可被海洋动物摄食并蓄积。生物与微塑料之间的相互作用必然会改变微塑料的物理、化学性质,及其在海洋中的迁移转化。因此,本文系统地阐述了海洋生物对微塑料的吸附、摄入、蓄积与排泄等关键过程;重点总结了微塑料在海洋生物过程(如排泄、与海洋雪团聚、形成生物膜以及生物扰动)影响下的沉降-埋藏等迁移过程;深入讨论了海洋动物对微塑料的摄食、消化过程以及微生物的分解作用导致的微塑料破碎、降解以及塑料添加剂和吸附污染物的释放过程及其机理。本文阐明了海洋生物对微塑料迁移转化的调控作用,为理解海洋微塑料的环境归趋提供理论依据。

Regulation of Marine Organisms on the Transport and Transformation of Microplastics

In recent years, marine microplastic pollution has became a serious environmental problem, thus raising increasing global concern. Abundant microplastics in the ocean inevitably induce their adsorption and colonization with marine algae and microorganisms, subsequently enhance the ingestion/internalization and accumulation by marine organisms. In turn, the interactions of microplastics with organisms could alter their physiochemical properties, and related transport and transformation in the ocean. Therefore, this review systematically addressed the key processes of microplastics including adsorption, ingestion, accumulation, and excretion by marine organisms, and highlighted the settlement and burial of microplastics under the influence of marine biological processes (e.g., the aggregation with marine snow and the formation of biofilm). More importantly, fragmentation and degradation processes of microplastics during interaction with marine organisms and the related mechanisms were demonstrated; the release of additives and adsorbed pollutants caused by ingestion, digestion and decomposition processes were discussed. Overall, this review made a critical summarization on the transport and transformation of microplastics during interaction with marine organisms, which presents a theoretical basis for understanding the fate of microplastics in marine environments.