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I am Evelina Idini, a first year student of the International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea). In this website I will present my Professional Practice (PP), that I carried out at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN) in Naples, Italy. My experience was eight weeks long and except for the first week it took place fully in presence, despite the pandemic. The PP was supervised by Dr. Raffaella Casotti and was meant to support PhD student Vincenzo Donnarumma in his project about the characterization of microbial communities on microplastics (MPs). Together with me there was another IMBRSea student, Charles Dimiaux.
If you are curious about the topic I invite you to discover more about my experience!
If you are curious about the topic I invite you to discover more about my experience!
We have all heard about the recent concern on plastic pollution in the marine environment. This problem caught the attention of the general public mainly because of the entanglement of marine mammals, the ingestion of fragments by birds and the shocking images of the garbage patches in the oceans. Unluckily, what we can see it is only the tip of the iceberg of a widespread problem.
There is much more to investigate, especially in terms of small plastic particles, called microplastics (MPs).
There is much more to investigate, especially in terms of small plastic particles, called microplastics (MPs).
But why is important studying MPs?
But why is important studying MPs?
Here I want to give you eight good reasons to do it:
They are present in all kind of environment from the deep sea to the areosol.
Are the most abundant kind of marine litter
They can break down even in smaller pieces, called nanoplastics which can interact at a cellular level causing unknown effects on the organisms.
They have an incredibly high sorption capacity; namely they can attract and concentrate toxic substances.
They can be vectors for alien species or pathogens
Understanding which are the main plastic polymers spread in the marine environment can help us in reducing the sources of pollution
Studying the microbial community attached to MPs is important to discover if there are biodegradation mechanisms of pastic performed by bacteria.
Being a long lasting substrate plastic can alter marine communities.
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