Nutrient Enrichment, Sedimentation, Heavy Metals and Plastic Pollution in the Marine Environment and its Implications on Philippine Marine Biodiversity: A Review

Marine biodiversity plays a vital role in ecosystem resilience and stability against climate change and alien species invasions, among others. This also plays a role in the provision of ecosystem services and functions that benefits humans. However due to anthropogenic activities and population increase, marine biodiversity have been affected most. We conducted a review using open-sourced journals on the effects of nutrient enrichment, sedimentation, heavy metals and plastic pollution in the marine environment and its implications on marine biodiversity. Lethal and sub-lethal effects were observed in different organisms that could affect marine biodiversity directly or indirectly. Direct effects include mortality of organisms while indirect effects include habitat degradation or alteration, a simplified food web, increase alien species invasion and reduced fitness of organisms. Human land use change, coastal construction activities, untreated sewage discharges, pesticides, mine tailings, uncollected, unsegregated and improperly dumped garbages and unabated garbage dumping at sea have been found to negatively influence marine biodiversity. In the Philippines, very few studies have been conducted with regards to marine pollution, especially on marine plastic debris, and even fewer studies have been made that tackles the effect of these stressors at an ecosystem level. Furthermore, this review has identified direct and indirect effects of pollution stressors on marine organisms which include: mortality and reduced fitness, vulnerability to disease or sickness,-habitat degradation, and food web simplification. Keywords - Ecology, nutrient enrichment, sedimentation, plastic, biodiversity, literature review, pollution, Philippines

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The impact of urban effluents on the coastal marine environment of Mediterranean islands

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1995.0673 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 32 (9-10) ◽

pp. 85-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael O. Angelidis

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Suspended Particle ◽

Pollution Source ◽

Mediterranean Islands ◽

Coastal Marine Environment ◽

Coastal Marine ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

The impact of the urban effluents of Mytilene (Lesvos island, Greece) on the receiving coastal marine environment, was evaluated by studying the quality of the city effluents (BOD5, COD, SS, heavy metals) and the marine sediments (grain size, organic matter, heavy metals). It was found that the urban effluents of Mytilene contain high organic matter and suspended particle load because of septage discharge into the sewerage network. Furthermore, although the city does not host important industrial activity, its effluents contain appreciable metal load, which is mainly associated with the particulate phase. The city effluents are discharged into the coastal marine environment and their colloidal and particulate matter after flocculation settles to the bottom, where is incorporated into the sediments. Over the years, the accumulation of organic matter and metals into the harbour mud has created a non-point pollution source in the relatively non-polluted coastal marine environment of the island. Copper and Zn were the metals which presented the higher enrichment in the sediments of the inner harbour of Mytilene.

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Exploring Antimicrobials from the Flora and Fauna of Marine: Opportunities and Limitations

Current Drug Discovery Technologies ◽

10.2174/1570163816666190819141344 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

pp. 507-514 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Krishnamoorthy Venkateskumar ◽

Subramani Parasuraman ◽

Leow Y. Chuen ◽

Veerasamy Ravichandran ◽

Subramani Balamurgan

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Bioactive Compounds ◽

Marine Environment ◽

World Health ◽

Future Research ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Marine Resources ◽

Living Space ◽

Alternative Sources ◽

Health Organization

About 95% of earth living space lies deep below the ocean’s surface and it harbors extraordinary diversity of marine organisms. Marine biodiversity is an exceptional reservoir of natural products, bioactive compounds, nutraceuticals and other potential compounds of commercial value. Timeline for the development of the drug from a plant, synthetic and other alternative sources is too lengthy. Exploration of the marine environment for potential bioactive compounds has gained focus and huge opportunity lies ahead for the exploration of such vast resources in the ocean. Further, the evolution of superbugs with increasing resistance to the currently available drugs is alarming and it needs coordinated efforts to resolve them. World Health Organization recommends the need and necessity to develop effective bioactive compounds to combat problems associated with antimicrobial resistance. Based on these factors, it is imperative to shift the focus towards the marine environment for potential bioactive compounds that could be utilized to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Current research trends also indicate the huge strides in research involving marine environment for drug discovery. The objective of this review article is to provide an overview of marine resources, recently reported research from marine resources, challenges, future research prospects in the marine environment.

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The influence of nutrient enrichment on riverine food web function and stability

Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1002/ece3.7107 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Adam D. Canning ◽

Russell G. Death

Keyword(s):

Food Web ◽

Nutrient Enrichment

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Long Term Interactions of Native and Invasive Species in a Marine Protected Area Suggest Complex Cascading Effects Challenging Conservation Outcomes

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13020071 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 71

Author(s):

Charalampos Dimitriadis ◽

Ivoni Fournari-Konstantinidou ◽

Laurent Sourbès ◽

Drosos Koutsoubas ◽

Stelios Katsanevakis

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Native Species ◽

High Performance ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Population Increase ◽

Rocky Reef ◽

Cascading Effects ◽

High Level

Understanding the interactions among invasive species, native species and marine protected areas (MPAs), and the long-term regime shifts in MPAs is receiving increased attention, since biological invasions can alter the structure and functioning of the protected ecosystems and challenge conservation efforts. Here we found evidence of marked modifications in the rocky reef associated biota in a Mediterranean MPA from 2009 to 2019 through visual census surveys, due to the presence of invasive species altering the structure of the ecosystem and triggering complex cascading effects on the long term. Low levels of the populations of native high-level predators were accompanied by the population increase and high performance of both native and invasive fish herbivores. Subsequently the overgrazing and habitat degradation resulted in cascading effects towards the diminishing of the native and invasive invertebrate grazers and omnivorous benthic species. Our study represents a good showcase of how invasive species can coexist or exclude native biota and at the same time regulate or out-compete other established invaders and native species.

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Plastic Pollution from Ships

Journal of Maritime & Transportation Science ◽

10.18048/2016.51.04 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 57-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jelena Čulin ◽

Toni Bielić

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impact ◽

Health Risk ◽

Human Health ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Detrimental Effect ◽

Human Health Risk ◽

Monitoring Data ◽

Marine Biota ◽

Plastic Pollution ◽

Risk Monitoring

The environmental impact of shipping on marine environment includes discharge of garbage. Plastic litter is of particular concern due to abundance, resistance to degradation and detrimental effect on marine biota. According to recently published studies, a further research is required to assess human health risk. Monitoring data indicate that despite banning plastic disposal at sea, shipping is still a source of plastic pollution. Some of the measures to combat the problem are discussed.

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CONTRIBUIÇÕES DAS ÁREAS MARINHAS PROTEGIDAS PARA A CONSERVAÇÃO E A GESTÃO DO AMBIENTE MARINHO

Raega - O Espaço Geográfico em Análise ◽

10.5380/raega.v7i0.3351 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Jérôme FOURNIER ◽

Andrea De CASTRO PANIZZA

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Environmental Protection ◽

Marine Environment ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Natural Environment ◽

Economic Value ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

The Third ◽

Conservation And Management ◽

Reserve Effect

Este artigo apresenta os diferentes aspectos da proteção do ambiente litorâneo abordando três pontos essenciais. O primeiro evoca a instalação de áreas marinhas protegidas (AMP) em um contexto socioeconômico e político, destacando seu funcionamento e a noção de efeito reserva. O segundo mostra a importância das AMP na proteção da biodiversidade marinha. Finalmente, o terceiro ponto exemplifica a avaliação do meio natural e aborda, de maneira geral, o valor econômico das espécies e da Natureza na ocorrência de degradação. Contributions of the marine protected areas for the conservation and management of the marine environment Abstract This article presents the various aspects of the littoral environmental protection by approaching three important points. The first evokes the installation of the marine surfaces protected in a socio-economic and political context. The operation of the reserves and the concept of reserve effect are explained. The second explains the interest of MPA to protect the marine biodiversity. Lastly, the third point shows the evaluation of the natural environment and more generally of the economic value of the species and Nature in the event of degradation.

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