Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove Ecosystems
In a paradigm shift in plastic wastes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wetlands such as mangroves are threatened by a new form of pollution, plastics, on top of the eutrophication of estuarine waters due to nitrogen and phosphorus wastes/effluents that lead to cyanobacterial proliferation. Both plastic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Phycology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9410/3/1/7 |
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| author | Dilantha Gunawardana Sashika Abeysiri Pathmalal Manage |
| author_facet | Dilantha Gunawardana Sashika Abeysiri Pathmalal Manage |
| author_sort | Dilantha Gunawardana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In a paradigm shift in plastic wastes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wetlands such as mangroves are threatened by a new form of pollution, plastics, on top of the eutrophication of estuarine waters due to nitrogen and phosphorus wastes/effluents that lead to cyanobacterial proliferation. Both plastic and nutrient pollution lead to prosperity of cyanotoxin-producing cyanobacteria that flourish in both and disperse leading to the detriment of fauna and flora in the mangrove ecosystem due to resulting toxicities. Although cyanotoxins are still a relatively poorly studied phenomenon in mangroves, their presence does create a focus of attention due to biofilm formation and the resultant flotation and sinking properties that are linked to cyanobacterial mats on plastic debris. Sri Lanka, being the first country in the world to conserve all its mangrove wetlands, does have a responsibility to prevent the invasion of plastics to this protected ecosystem, and binding with the Ramsar Convention, precluding plastic waste and their concomitant footprint, is a task at hand to the relative authorities. The path ahead mandates that we study the properties of plastics for cyanobacterial proliferation, biofilm formation, the fates of such plastics (flotation, dispersal and sinking), the cyanotoxin production changes that are attributed—or linked—to plastic pollution and the resultant impacts on mangrove ecosystems. Cyanotoxins are long-lived, and it is paramount that we find the necessary mechanisms to eliminate or curtail their production in mangrove ecosystems while establishing surveillance and monitoring of both the producers and the harmful agents. Cyanobacteria although vehicles for nitrogen fixation and replenishing of nutrients to an N-depleted ecosystem such as the mangroves, could lead to enhancements in cyanotoxins production. However, this phenomenon remains ambiguous and poorly studied in applied phycology in relation to mangroves. “New normal” plastics are lodged mostly on the surfaces of bark, prop roots, and pneumatophores, which are the localities where the highest level of new nitrogen is fixed, and this may lead to the proliferation of N-fixing, cyanotoxin-producing cyanobacteria, which may have repercussions on both flora and fauna of mangroves. Therefore, it is crucial that we monitor plastic pollution and find mechanisms for sanitizing plastics-imprinted mangroves to lessen the harmful footprint resulting from plastic overload. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:01:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b00ca5508f764ae1b71f9942f3c187a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-9410 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:01:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Phycology |
| spelling | doaj.art-b00ca5508f764ae1b71f9942f3c187a82023-11-17T13:19:49ZengMDPI AGPhycology2673-94102023-02-013110612610.3390/phycology3010007Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove EcosystemsDilantha Gunawardana0Sashika Abeysiri1Pathmalal Manage2Independent Researcher, Nugegoda 10250, Sri LankaCentre for Water Quality and Algae Research, Department of Zoology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri LankaCentre for Water Quality and Algae Research, Department of Zoology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri LankaIn a paradigm shift in plastic wastes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wetlands such as mangroves are threatened by a new form of pollution, plastics, on top of the eutrophication of estuarine waters due to nitrogen and phosphorus wastes/effluents that lead to cyanobacterial proliferation. Both plastic and nutrient pollution lead to prosperity of cyanotoxin-producing cyanobacteria that flourish in both and disperse leading to the detriment of fauna and flora in the mangrove ecosystem due to resulting toxicities. Although cyanotoxins are still a relatively poorly studied phenomenon in mangroves, their presence does create a focus of attention due to biofilm formation and the resultant flotation and sinking properties that are linked to cyanobacterial mats on plastic debris. Sri Lanka, being the first country in the world to conserve all its mangrove wetlands, does have a responsibility to prevent the invasion of plastics to this protected ecosystem, and binding with the Ramsar Convention, precluding plastic waste and their concomitant footprint, is a task at hand to the relative authorities. The path ahead mandates that we study the properties of plastics for cyanobacterial proliferation, biofilm formation, the fates of such plastics (flotation, dispersal and sinking), the cyanotoxin production changes that are attributed—or linked—to plastic pollution and the resultant impacts on mangrove ecosystems. Cyanotoxins are long-lived, and it is paramount that we find the necessary mechanisms to eliminate or curtail their production in mangrove ecosystems while establishing surveillance and monitoring of both the producers and the harmful agents. Cyanobacteria although vehicles for nitrogen fixation and replenishing of nutrients to an N-depleted ecosystem such as the mangroves, could lead to enhancements in cyanotoxins production. However, this phenomenon remains ambiguous and poorly studied in applied phycology in relation to mangroves. “New normal” plastics are lodged mostly on the surfaces of bark, prop roots, and pneumatophores, which are the localities where the highest level of new nitrogen is fixed, and this may lead to the proliferation of N-fixing, cyanotoxin-producing cyanobacteria, which may have repercussions on both flora and fauna of mangroves. Therefore, it is crucial that we monitor plastic pollution and find mechanisms for sanitizing plastics-imprinted mangroves to lessen the harmful footprint resulting from plastic overload.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9410/3/1/7mangrove ecosystemscyanobacteriacyanotoxinsplastic pollutionplastisphere |
| spellingShingle | Dilantha Gunawardana Sashika Abeysiri Pathmalal Manage Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove Ecosystems Phycology mangrove ecosystems cyanobacteria cyanotoxins plastic pollution plastisphere |
| title | Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove Ecosystems |
| title_full | Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove Ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove Ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove Ecosystems |
| title_short | Legacy of “New Normal” Plastics and “New Nitrogen” in the Cyanotoxin Footprint in Mangrove Ecosystems |
| title_sort | legacy of new normal plastics and new nitrogen in the cyanotoxin footprint in mangrove ecosystems |
| topic | mangrove ecosystems cyanobacteria cyanotoxins plastic pollution plastisphere |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9410/3/1/7 |
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