{"id":36424,"date":"2021-12-20T11:44:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T15:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?p=36424"},"modified":"2024-10-22T15:03:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T19:03:21","slug":"the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm","title":{"rendered":"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like the microplastics she studies, Keiko Wilkins arrived at this point in her life through a long, multi-dimensional, and at times unexpected journey. Today she is a second-year graduate student in the doctoral program at the <\/span>University of Hawaii<\/span><\/a>, a graduate assistant at <\/span>Kewalo Marine Laboratory<\/span><\/a>, but her journey began in Pickerington, Ohio, a far cry from the sea. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI always had an interest in water, and I swam competitively,\u201d she recalls. <\/span>\u201cI knew I wanted to study biology, but did I want to do research or education? So I explored biology further. My academic advisor worked on lakes and I focused on zooplankton in lakes, and changes in their populations. Fascinated by the ocean, I wanted to study it, but in Ohio, the ocean is, of course, out of reach. So I turned to study abroad in Puerto Rico, collecting samples of plankton and bacteria. After taking a microbial ecology class in 2017, I got interested in microplastics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microplastics, defined as plastics 5 mm or smaller in size, were all over the environment, she learned. \u201cEven in the deepest parts of the ocean, we\u2019ve found microplastics. We\u2019ve not only found that microplastics get transported everywhere, but they also act as transportation for other organisms. They act like tiny cars that take hitchhiking organisms on rides to faraway places.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While plastics are so common in our environment, we might be tempted to assume they\u2019re benign and ignore them; Wilkins says we should not be so hasty. \u201cBacteria can colonize microplastics and get carried all over the world, over our entire environment. This has consequences we are only beginning to study and understand,\u201d she mentions.<\/span><\/p>\n

After finishing her master\u2019s at <\/span>Miami University<\/span><\/a> (Oxford, OH) and going to Australia in an exchange program with Southern Cross University, Wilkins sought to explore the question of how exactly she wanted to study microplastics. After working with corals and discovering they could ingest microplastics, her course of advanced study was finally set.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"microplastics

Miami University graduate students Oluwaseun Olubodun (left) and Keiko Wilkins (right) collecting zooplankton from Lake Lacawac, PA (Credit: Lauren Atkins)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI decided to study the effect of microplastics on corals, combining two big interests of mine. I also found there was very little research out there on how microplastics affected corals. It was a perfect topic for my doctoral research,\u201d she recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Microplastics are an emerging area of study, but they have been in the environment for a long time. Some are primary, meaning they started out as microplastics–for example, microbeads in makeup–that passed directly into the environment. Others are secondary, meaning they started out as larger plastics, such as plastic bags, that were gradually broken down by the environment into microplastics. Lots of plastics of both types end up in the ocean.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMicroplastics themselves aren\u2019t the only concern,\u201d Wilkins noted. \u201cThere are also chemicals we need to add to microplastics to make them work and chemicals already in the environment which attach to microplastics. We don\u2019t know what effects those chemicals are having on the environment either, or whether they are safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"microplastics

Study conducted at Kewalo Marine Laboratory exposing coral to tungsten to understand any effects on coral health and reproduction (Credit: Madelief Schelvis)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Another aspect of Wilkins\u2019 research is geographical: she needed to determine which corals should be studied to look at the way microplastics affect them. \u201cWe\u2019ve found that every environment has microplastics in it, so that means all corals are likely being affected,\u201d says Wilkins. \u201cWe already know something about how microplastics affect other marine life. We know seabirds have innards full of microplastics. We know even plankton can ingest microplastics. We suspect microplastics are traveling up the food chain right now, and we may be getting microplastics from the fish we eat. Whenever you drink water from a plastic bottle, you\u2019re likely ingesting microplastics. We\u2019ve also been able to find microplastics in lakes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the research on microplastics in coral is scant, making it ripe for a dissertation study by Wilkins and others. The first stage of her dissertation research will be field and lab coral collection in Oahu and Maui. \u201cWe want to look at the coral skeletons and coral polyps (mouths) and see the different ways they ingest microplastics. We also want to get a sense of where microplastics are collecting in the water column. We want to look at what coral characteristics influence microplastic ingestion,\u201d says Wilkins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of microplastics found will also be explored, as well as related chemicals, especially those known to cause reproductive harm. Different concentrations and sizes of microplastics will be examined.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe plan on doing the coral survey first. We also plan on looking at a species of butterfly fish that commonly feeds on corals to see if we can detect any microplastics transferring from the coral to the fish,\u201d Wilkins mentions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"microplastics

Underwater landscape of Turtle Canyon (Honolulu, HI) Credit: Keiko Wilkins<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cRight now, we don\u2019t know what types of microplastics we will find, or how much we will find,\u201d she adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given the size and scope of microplastic distribution and effects all over the globe, studying microplastics in Hawaiian corals will be an extremely valuable step in beginning to understand what microplastics are doing to wildlife and human life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis study is the first of its kind,\u201d Wilkins emphasizes. \u201cIt\u2019s a very exciting time to be doing research.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A first of its kind study is unfolding on the effects of ubiquitous microplastics on coral in Hawaii.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":36434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7,8,44,510],"tags":[141,2344,2343,60,2345,944,1567,659,221],"class_list":["post-36424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-articles","category-news","category-newsfeed","category-oceans-coasts","category-water-quality","tag-coral","tag-coral-reef","tag-coral-research","tag-featured","tag-kewalo-marine-laboratory","tag-microplastics","tag-oceans","tag-plastic-pollution","tag-university-of-hawaii"],"remote_post_permalink":false,"remote_post_featured_image":false,"yoast_head":"\nThe Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A first of its kind study is unfolding on the effects of ubiquitous microplastics on coral in Hawaii.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A first of its kind study is unfolding on the effects of ubiquitous microplastics on coral in Hawaii.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Environmental Monitor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-20T15:44:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-22T19:03:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"705\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lori Balster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lori Balster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lori Balster\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc098253ffd6cd9f653771a15dbd57df\"},\"headline\":\"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-20T15:44:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-22T19:03:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm\"},\"wordCount\":929,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"coral\",\"coral reef\",\"coral research\",\"featured\",\"Kewalo Marine Laboratory\",\"microplastics\",\"oceans\",\"plastic pollution\",\"University of Hawaii\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Featured Articles\",\"News\",\"Newsfeed\",\"Oceans & Coasts\",\"Water Quality\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm\",\"name\":\"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-20T15:44:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-22T19:03:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc098253ffd6cd9f653771a15dbd57df\"},\"description\":\"A first of its kind study is unfolding on the effects of ubiquitous microplastics on coral in Hawaii.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/news.fondriest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg\",\"width\":940,\"height\":705,\"caption\":\"microplastics and corals\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Environmental Monitor\",\"description\":\"Application and technology news for environmental professionals\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc098253ffd6cd9f653771a15dbd57df\",\"name\":\"Lori Balster\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0c8139da2000d0ce1a5dc0049226e06fde3164eb8794393883c36a7e0d158d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0c8139da2000d0ce1a5dc0049226e06fde3164eb8794393883c36a7e0d158d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0c8139da2000d0ce1a5dc0049226e06fde3164eb8794393883c36a7e0d158d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lori Balster\"},\"description\":\"Lori Balster is a writer, consultant, and nature enthusiast based in Dayton, OH. Lori has also worked as a research chemist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.fondriest.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/loribalster\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral","description":"A first of its kind study is unfolding on the effects of ubiquitous microplastics on coral in Hawaii.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral","og_description":"A first of its kind study is unfolding on the effects of ubiquitous microplastics on coral in Hawaii.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm","og_site_name":"Environmental Monitor","article_published_time":"2021-12-20T15:44:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-10-22T19:03:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":940,"height":705,"url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lori Balster","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lori Balster","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm"},"author":{"name":"Lori Balster","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/cc098253ffd6cd9f653771a15dbd57df"},"headline":"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral","datePublished":"2021-12-20T15:44:47+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-22T19:03:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm"},"wordCount":929,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg","keywords":["coral","coral reef","coral research","featured","Kewalo Marine Laboratory","microplastics","oceans","plastic pollution","University of Hawaii"],"articleSection":["Featured Articles","News","Newsfeed","Oceans & Coasts","Water Quality"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm","url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm","name":"The Tiniest Cars: Understanding the Effects of Microplastics on Coral","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg","datePublished":"2021-12-20T15:44:47+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-22T19:03:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/cc098253ffd6cd9f653771a15dbd57df"},"description":"A first of its kind study is unfolding on the effects of ubiquitous microplastics on coral in Hawaii.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/the-tiniest-cars-understanding-the-effects-of-microplastics-on-coral.htm#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news.fondriest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/keiko_microplastics_4.jpg","width":940,"height":705,"caption":"microplastics and corals"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/","name":"Environmental Monitor","description":"Application and technology news for environmental professionals","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/cc098253ffd6cd9f653771a15dbd57df","name":"Lori Balster","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c8139da2000d0ce1a5dc0049226e06fde3164eb8794393883c36a7e0d158d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c8139da2000d0ce1a5dc0049226e06fde3164eb8794393883c36a7e0d158d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0c8139da2000d0ce1a5dc0049226e06fde3164eb8794393883c36a7e0d158d8f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lori Balster"},"description":"Lori Balster is a writer, consultant, and nature enthusiast based in Dayton, OH. Lori has also worked as a research chemist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.","url":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/author\/loribalster"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36424"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36646,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36424\/revisions\/36646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondriest.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}