Implications of Plastic Pollution in the Environment

One of the most startling implications of this experimental circuit was the discovery of C. reinhardtii colonization behavior. In our first experiment, algae cultures formed clumped formations on plastic in the bottom of the test tubes. Increased surface roughness of plastics due to UV irradiation provide an ideal surface for algal formations. From an ecosystem-level perspective, ingestion of these algal colonies in a natural environment could have drastic implications. Ingestion of plastics by terrestrial and oceanic organisms could potentially reduce ecosystem-level productivity. Additionally, ingestion of these organisms by humans could introduce microplastics into our diets. The implications of plastic ingestion haven't been studied to a conclusive extent.