Executive Summary: Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and has become an eminent threat to all natural environments and alarmingly the Oceans. New publications appear every day reporting this problem worldwide, which not only represents a threat to marine life and the ecosystem (Cressey, 2016); but also the bioaccumulation of polymers in food trophic chains has been documented (Haward, 2018); and this could ultimately directly affect human health.
From large plastic debris floating on the surface to degraded microplastics in water columns, plastic fragments and particles disperse in the ocean converging on subtropical gyres (large patches of plastic floating in the ocean) (Eriksen et al., 2014 ). Today, virtually all seas and coastal areas on the planet have already been reported with plastic remains, including locations in the extreme south of all of Antarctica (Waller et al., 2017). Our current knowledge about the effects of organic plastic compounds on marine genetic diversity is limited, an association of plastic contaminants with the genetic composition of marine fauna has not yet been established, nor is the bioaccumulation and toxicity implications known. microplastic particles may have on the food chain, and on human health. At the national level, there is not and has not yet been made any evaluation of the level of contamination that exists on the Ecuadorian coasts as a result of microplastic dissolved in the Ocean, nor of the marine species directly affected, much less of the toxic effects that the chemical components of plastic have on living organisms. In the context of environmental plastic pollution in the oceans as a direct effect of anthropogenic activities, it is essential to understand the molecular interaction between analytical chemistry and the genetic characterization of marine life.
This interaction could elucidate direct answers to questions such as: a) Which marine species are most affected by these pollutants?; b) What important role do pollutants and chemical compounds play in ecology and their fundamental importance with evolutionary consequences for marine life?; c) Are there possible differences in the abundance of contaminants and do they correlate with species richness at different latitudes?; d) Can we measure and quantify the toxic effects of organic plastic molecules on marine species for commercial consumption in order to infer the harmful effects on humans?; among other. This research project involves the analysis of genomic data from environmental DNA (eDNA), using metabarcoding and ddRAD-Seq; together with environmental/chemical analytical data of polymer-plasticizers and additives in the water column in order to assess plastic pollution at a large spatial scale along a genetic latitudinal gradient. Additionally, we want to evaluate in a possible second phase of this project, the toxic effects that plastic additives have on certain marine organisms for human consumption, and in this way report our results trying to establish a parameter to infer and quantify the toxic effects. of plastic in humans.
General Objective: Establish and quantify a relationship between the analysis of environmental and chemical plastics data (for example, quantification of polymers by means of gas chromatography) with metagenomic data of environmental (for example, ddRAD-Seq) and toxicological (second phase-continuation) in marine species for commercial consumption in areas with the greatest plastic pollution; in order to determine the potential direct harmful effects of plastic chemicals on humans.
Specific objectives
- Implement the latest methods for the chemical analysis of complex mixtures of plastic pollutants in the oceans.
- Apply new generation technologies in DNA sequencing and microarrays for the detection of environmental DNA (eDNA) of marine fauna in sampled areas.
- Develop mathematical models to integrate chemical and biological information through Bayesian statistics.
- Consolidate a network of experts on marine pollution issues that truthfully and timely warn environmental authorities and the general public about the risks of inadequate management of plastic waste.
Participating Institutions:
YACHAY TECH, PUCE, USFQ.
Participants:
Project manager Alonzo Alfaro.
- Alonzo Alfaro
- Diana Astorga
- Diana Pazmino
Awarded budget: $49000
Project status: Signing of agreements.
