Microplastics: Small Particles, Big Threat

You have probably heard that plastic pollution is becoming a big problem for the environment, and especially for the oceans. When a piece of plastic reaches the sea, the seawater and sunlight make it slowly fall apart into tiny plastic particles. These small particles are called microplastics and are even smaller than a ladybug—and sometimes not even visible. Scientists have found that many marine animals mistake these microplastics for food and eat them! But what about the animals in coral reefs? Many animals in reefs, including corals and giant clams, are fixed to the bottom of the sea and cannot move. So, they cannot escape from the microplastics that are literally “raining down” on them. Recently, we discovered that many of these coral reef animals are not only eating the microplastics, but the plastics can also stick on their bodies like flies on flypaper!