1. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea?

2. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!!

3. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Plastics, as direct danger for humans Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Large fragments on beaches can cause injuries. Sewage-related and medical waste may be a risk to human health.

4. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Plastics, as vectors of biological and chemical contaminants for humans Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Pathogenic Vibrio spp Plastics and fluoranthene on Mytilus Vectors of chemical contaminants (PAH PCB) through the marine trophic levels

5. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Direct Impacts of plastics on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Ecotoxic effects Ingestion, feeding alteration Effects on physiology and reproduction Vectors of chemical contaminants (PAH PCB) through the marine trophic levels

6. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Ingestion, entanglement, smothering, hangers-on, hitch-hiking alien invasions

7. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Direct Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Ingestion A study on 38 green turtles found that 61 percent had ingested some form of marine debris including plastic bags, cloth, and rope or string (Bugoni et al., 2001)

8. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Direct Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Ingestion Birds feed on plastic floating on the water, mistaking it for food, and leading to death and death of their young. A report on Laysan Albatross chicks on Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean revealed that forty percent of Albatross chicks die before fledging.

9. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Direct Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Ingestion At least 43% of existing cetacean species, all species of marine turtles, approximately 44% of the world's seabird species, and many species of fish have been reported to ingest litter

10. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Direct Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Entanglement Marine life can become entangled in marine debris causing serious injury or death trough suffocation, starvation, drowning, increased vulnerability to predators, or other injuries

11. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Impacts of plastics on marine life smothering Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!!

12. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Direct Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Ecosystem Alteration Coral reefs can be damaged by derelict fishing gear that breaks or suffocates coral. Plants can be smothered by plastic bags and fishing nets. The ocean floor ecosystems can be damaged.

13. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Indirect Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Hitch hiking, Invasive Species Marine debris can contribute to the transfer and movement of invasive species from one location to another.

14. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Indirect Impacts on marine life Interaction of plastic litter with environment is not only aestetic!! Ecosystem Alteration Efforts to remove marine debris can harm ecosystems. Mechanical beach raking uses a tractor or other mechanical device to remove marine debris from beaches and marine shorelines and can impact shoreline habitats

15. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 Lifecycle of marine plastic It is not one specific source or step in the plastic lifecycle that is responsible for marine debris; it is types of behavior or improperly secured waste, whether intentional or intentional, that creates marine debris 5. Ecology of litter at sea?

16. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Lifecycle of marine plastic Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea?

17. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Lifecycle of marine plastic Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea?

18. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Lifecycle of marine plastic Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? It is not one specific source or step in the plastic lifecycle that is responsible for marine debris; it is types of behavior or improperly secured waste, whether intentional or intentional, that creates marine debris

19. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Anthropocene and Plastisphere Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Anthropocene The term was coined in 80 by ecologist Eugene F. Stoermer. Informal geologic chronological term that marks the evidence and extent of human activities that have had a significant global impact

20. COCONET SUMMER COURSE “GES & MPAs” Good Environmental Status and Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea Anthropocene and Plastisphere Rabat, 8-13 september 2014 5. Ecology of litter at sea? Plastisphere is a term used to refer to ecosystems that have evolved to live in human-made plastic environments. Unknown equilibria