Data

Microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a simple coral reef food web

Name: Microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a simple coral reef food web
Published: 2026

Australian Institute of Marine Science

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)

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ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2FANDS&rft_id=https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/32af0387-4e75-41c1-b000-1e37ad4bb366&rft.title=Microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a simple coral reef food web&rft.identifier=https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/32af0387-4e75-41c1-b000-1e37ad4bb366&rft.publisher=Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)&rft.description=Microplastics are considered a marine contaminant of emerging concern and to accurately assess the ecological risk of microplastics, it is critical to understand the levels of contamination and relationship between organisms and their surrounding envrionment. The aim of this study was to understand the ecological risk of microplastics on coral reef organisms by assessing taxa representing three trophic levels in the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR). This included zooplankton, benthic crustaceans and reef fish, as well as environmental matrices they inhabit (i.e., mid-column seawater and benthic sediment) from two mid-shelf reef locations (i.e., Davies and Backnumbers) in the central GBR. Contamination was assessed following rigorous protocols and analysed to determine levels of microplastics in each matrix. Microplastics were found in all matrices investigated, with similar polymers, sizes, colours and shapes across all trophic levels and environmental matrices. In contrast, contamination varied up the trophic level, and although microplastics were concentrating in organisms, there was no evidence for microplastics magnifying up the food web. However, given the heterogeneity of microplastics abundant within the marine environment, it is impossible to ignore trophic transfer as a prominant pathway of exposure from lower to higher trophic levels.Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlannedStatement: Data quality was assured using the following permits, animal ethics approval, and SOPs: 1. Sample collection followed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority permit G12/35236.1 2. Fish collection and procedures followed James Cook University Animal Ethics Committee Approval Number A2643 3. Sample processing was conducted following the SOPs: SOP_SF-T064_2, SOP_SF-T065_1, SOP_SF-T080_1, SOP_SF-T081_1, SOP_SF-T082_1, and SOP_SF-T083_1 (AIMS internal documents) 4. Filters were visually examined under a microscope (Leica MZ16A, 0.73x –12.0x magnification; Leica DFC 500 camera attachment) for putative microplastics. Microplastics were chemically confirmed using a Perkin Elmer Spotlight 200 microimaging Attenuated Total Reflectance FTIR(μATR-FTIR) in transmittance mode (background scans acquired prior to each item). Final chemical composition was assigned using a custom-built R script protocol allowing spectral comparison to the NICODOM industrial library and various potential contamination sources to rule out extraneous microplastics.&rft.creator=Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) &rft.date=2026&rft.coverage=westlimit=147.14847564697268; southlimit=-18.493772933529375; eastlimit=147.14847564697268; northlimit=-18.493772933529375&rft.coverage=westlimit=147.14847564697268; southlimit=-18.493772933529375; eastlimit=147.14847564697268; northlimit=-18.493772933529375&rft.coverage=westlimit=147.64217376708987; southlimit=-18.812555365497207; eastlimit=147.64217376708987; northlimit=-18.812555365497207&rft.coverage=westlimit=147.64217376708987; southlimit=-18.812555365497207; eastlimit=147.64217376708987; northlimit=-18.812555365497207&rft_rights=Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/&rft_rights=Use Limitation: All AIMS data, products and services are provided as is and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services.&rft_rights=Attribution: Format for citation of metadata sourced from Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in a list of reference is as follows: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). (2022). Microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a simple coral reef food web. https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/32af0387-4e75-41c1-b000-1e37ad4bb366, accessed[date-of-access].&rft_subject=oceans&rft.type=dataset&rft.language=English Access the data

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/

Use Limitation: All AIMS data, products and services are provided "as is" and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services.

Attribution: Format for citation of metadata sourced from Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in a list of reference is as follows: "Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). (2022). Microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a simple coral reef food web. https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/32af0387-4e75-41c1-b000-1e37ad4bb366, accessed[date-of-access]".

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Microplastics are considered a marine contaminant of emerging concern and to accurately assess the ecological risk of microplastics, it is critical to understand the levels of contamination and relationship between organisms and their surrounding envrionment. The aim of this study was to understand the ecological risk of microplastics on coral reef organisms by assessing taxa representing three trophic levels in the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR). This included zooplankton, benthic crustaceans and reef fish, as well as environmental matrices they inhabit (i.e., mid-column seawater and benthic sediment) from two mid-shelf reef locations (i.e., Davies and Backnumbers) in the central GBR. Contamination was assessed following rigorous protocols and analysed to determine levels of microplastics in each matrix. Microplastics were found in all matrices investigated, with similar polymers, sizes, colours and shapes across all trophic levels and environmental matrices. In contrast, contamination varied up the trophic level, and although microplastics were concentrating in organisms, there was no evidence for microplastics magnifying up the food web. However, given the heterogeneity of microplastics abundant within the marine environment, it is impossible to ignore trophic transfer as a prominant pathway of exposure from lower to higher trophic levels.

Lineage

Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned

Statement: Data quality was assured using the following permits, animal ethics approval, and SOPs: 1. Sample collection followed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority permit G12/35236.1 2. Fish collection and procedures followed James Cook University Animal Ethics Committee Approval Number A2643 3. Sample processing was conducted following the SOPs: SOP_SF-T064_2, SOP_SF-T065_1, SOP_SF-T080_1, SOP_SF-T081_1, SOP_SF-T082_1, and SOP_SF-T083_1 (AIMS internal documents) 4. Filters were visually examined under a microscope (Leica MZ16A, 0.73x –12.0x magnification; Leica DFC 500 camera attachment) for putative microplastics. Microplastics were chemically confirmed using a Perkin Elmer Spotlight 200 microimaging Attenuated Total Reflectance FTIR(μATR-FTIR) in transmittance mode (background scans acquired prior to each item). Final chemical composition was assigned using a custom-built R script protocol allowing spectral comparison to the NICODOM industrial library and various potential contamination sources to rule out extraneous microplastics.

Notes

Credit
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Reef Guardian Grant 2019

Credit
James Cook University PhD Scholarship, Australia

Credit
AIMS@JCU

Credit
Traditional Owners of the land and sea country: Wulgurukaba and Bindal People

Modified: 18 09 2026

This dataset is part of a larger collection

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text: westlimit=147.14847564697268; southlimit=-18.493772933529375; eastlimit=147.14847564697268; northlimit=-18.493772933529375

text: westlimit=147.64217376708987; southlimit=-18.812555365497207; eastlimit=147.64217376708987; northlimit=-18.812555365497207

Subjects

oceans |

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Other Information

Miller, M. E., Motti, C. A., Hamann, M., & Kroon, F. J. (2023). Assessment of microplastic bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a simple coral reef food web. Science of The Total Environment, 858, 159615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159615

doi : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159615 DOI Link

Identifiers

global : 32af0387-4e75-41c1-b000-1e37ad4bb366