(ANSAmed) - ROME, AUGUST 2 - An Italian study recently
published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports showed for
the first time that jellyfish eat plastic fragments suspended in
the water.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of
Siena together with colleagues from Tuscia University, with
broad international collaboration.
It demonstrated the presence of plastic waste in the
jellyfish species it analysed, which included the Pelagia
noctiluca, a species that is widespread in the Mediterranean.
The study took jellyfish samples from an area near the island
of Ponza that has a "plastic vortex," an area where a buildup of
marine waste has accumulated due to the convergence of surface
currents.
It showed in particular that the jellyfish are an
"unexpected" target of sea plastics and that their
contamination, with fragments larger than one centimetre, poses
further concerns for the entire marine food chain.
Jellyfish make up a considerable portion of the diet of large
vertebrates, such as turtles and fish, including species used
for commercial purposes, such as tuna and swordfish.(ANSAmed).
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