Conceptual model of global plants entrapping plastics

Aquatic plants, seagrasses, macrophytes, mangroves, and riparian vegetation are responsible for some of the most important ecosystem services provided on the Earth. Given their role in trapping plastics along rivers, we propose a new ecosystem service of plastic entrapment by global plants. Although research started recently to study vegetation trapping plastics, little is known about the global patterns of plastic retention and remobilization by vegetation through different habitats. Given those gaps, we synthesize global data on plastic entrapment in plants providing a conceptual model to describe processes for plastic retention by vegetation. Our results demonstrate how vegetation has a pivotal role in entrapping plastics across spatial and temporal scales, finding the higher density of plastics on plants rather than in the adjacent water area. Furthermore, we proposed a conceptual model (i.e., Plant Plastic Pathway) of plants entrapping plastics, highlighting spatial and temporal scales of plastic retention and release processes in different habitats. Thus, we anticipate our conceptual model to be a starting point for more sophisticated future studies, putting effort into looking at plastic-vegetation dynamics. Our conceptual model may have a crucial effect if applied to plastic hotspot area detection with clean-up and mitigation actions in riverine ecosystems

Using Social Media to Determine the Global Distribution of Plastics in Birds’ Nests: The Role of Riverine Habitats

Plastics are widely distributed in all ecosystems with evident impacts on biodiversity. We aimed at examining the topic of plastic occurrence within bird nests. We conducted a systematic search on three social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) to fill the gap of knowledge on plastic nests worldwide. As a result, we observed nests with plastics mostly belonging to synanthropic species inhabiting riverine habitats, mainly in Europe, North America, and Asia, with an increase in occurrence over the years. Two common and generalist freshwater species (Eurasian Coot Fulica atra and Swans Cygnus sp.) showed the highest frequency of occurrence of plastic debris. We suggest plastics in bird nests as a proxy for debris occurring in the environment. However, our data may be biased, due to our sample’s low representativeness. Therefore, more data are necessary to have more information on plastic distribution. In conclusion, social media might be pivotal in indicating plastic hotspot areas worldwide and being an indicator of plastic pollution within the environment

Non-native Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) (Bivalvia, Veneroidea) in Central Italy: do the waters pumped by Reclaimed Agencies may have a role in spreading through translocation?

Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is an invasive mollusk species (Bivalvia, Veneridae) known to cause several negative impacts in freshwater ecosystems where it has been introduced. In the 2022 summer season a total drying up took place in the “Torre Flavia” wetland, a Special Protection Area (Latium, central Italy): it made possible a survey of biological remains deposited in the bottom of the wetland channels (> 2,000 m in total length). During this survey, for the first time, we recorded valves belonging to 68 specimens of Asian clam. We did not record living specimens. This is the first case of occurrence of this mollusk in a wetland basin (the fourth record for Central Italy). The population would not appear to have naturalized locally but, probably, individuals could be accidental arrived by the waters pumped by the Reclaimed Agency. We discussed the implications about the role of these Agencies in favour involuntarily the translocation of both native and non-native species from the dewatering pumps (along the Tiber River) to surrounding land reclaimed wet areas (channels and swamps) and croplands connected to the artificial water system

Non-native Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) (Bivalvia, Veneroidea) in Central Italy: do the waters pumped by Reclaimed Agencies may have a role in spreading through translocation?

Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is an invasive mollusk species (Bivalvia, Veneridae) known to cause several negative impacts in freshwater ecosystems where it has been introduced. In the 2022 summer season a total drying up took place in the “Torre Flavia” wetland, a Special Protection Area (Latium, central Italy): it made possible a survey of biological remains deposited in the bottom of the wetland channels (> 2,000 m in total length). During this survey, for the first time, we recorded valves belonging to 68 specimens of Asian clam. We did not record living specimens. This is the first case of occurrence of this mollusk in a wetland basin (the fourth record for Central Italy). The population would not appear to have naturalized locally but, probably, individuals could be accidental arrived by the waters pumped by the Reclaimed Agency. We discussed the implications about the role of these Agencies in favour involuntarily the translocation of both native and non-native species from the dewatering pumps (along the Tiber River) to surrounding land reclaimed wet areas (channels and swamps) and croplands connected to the artificial water system

RIPARIANET - Prioritising riparian ecotones to sustain and connect multiple biodiversity and functional components in river networks

Europe has committed to upscale ecosystems protection to include 30% of land and sea. However, due to historical overexploitation of natural assets, the available area for biodiversity protection is severely limited. Riparian zones are natural ecotones between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, contributing disproportionately to regional biodiversity and providing multiple ecosystem functions and services. Due to this and their branching geometry, riparian networks form a vast system of ‘blue-green arteries’ which physically and functionally connect multiple ecosystems over elevation gradients, despite covering a relatively small area of the basin. Hence, RIPARIANET argues that developing approaches able to optimise the spatial conservation of natural stream-riparian networks represent a flagship example of biodiversity protection in the EU. Although the integrity of riparian zones is fundamental for the achievement of multiple EU environmental objectives, the lack of a standardised framework for biodiversity assessment and protection across Member States has led to extensive impairment of riparian areas and frequent stakeholder conflicts. The main objective of RIPARIANET is to leverage the increasing resolution of remote sensing information to provide practitioners with evidence-based guidance and approaches to biodiversity conservation. Key questions include: i) how can we remotely assess riparian integrity and identify areas which provide effective connectivity allowing species biodiversity and ecosystem functions to persist through meta-ecological processes? ii) how can we disentangle the influence of local- and network-scale stressors and processes on riparian biodiversity to better implement river basin management schemes? iii) to what extent do currently existing protected areas in rivers account for the geometry of riparian networks and their multifunctionality? We will address these questions in riparian networks within six river basins in Europe, including Boreal, Continental, Alpine, Temperate and Mediterranean systems. First, we will gather local needs and interests from key stakeholders together with satellite imagery and GIS environmental data for all basins. Then, riparian and river ecosystems functions will be modelled and ecological hotspots will be identified through a GIS-based multi-criteria approach, including stakeholder inputs. Then, we will collect in situ data to assess multiple biodiversity and stressors at the local scale and, subsequently, scale-up this information to the network scale using geostatistical tools and advanced modelling. This knowledge will be conveyed to managers at local and EU scales in the form of decision-support tools allowing decision-makers to identify protection gaps and ecological hotspots along riparian networks, based on multiple biodiversity, functional and connectivity criteria

One year after on Tyrrhenian coasts: The ban of cotton buds does not reduce their dominance in beach litter composition

In January 2019, Italy banned the sale of plastic cotton buds, which is one of the most abundant litter items entering the sea and then washing ashore. However, since the ban came into force, no studies have been carried out to assess whether the measure has actually led to the reduction of plastic cotton buds accumulating on Italian coasts. Here we aim at evaluating the effectiveness of the ban in reducing the amount of cotton buds reaching sandy beaches of the Tyrrhenian coast. Specifically, we monitored the accumulation of beach litter for one year since the ban came into force. By surveying eight coastal sites from winter 2019 to winter 2020, we collected a total of 52,824 items mostly constituted by plastic debris (97.6%). We found that cotton buds were the most abundant item (42.3% of total litter), followed by plastic (28.5%) and polystyrene (5.43%) fragments. Our preliminary assessment suggests that the ban has so far not led to a sensible reduction in the amount of cotton buds entering the marine ecosystem. This was to be expected since implementation strategies are still lacking (i.e. no economic sanctions can be imposed in case of non-compliance) and bans are differently implemented among countries facing the Mediterranean Sea, calling for law enforcement and implementation at the national and international levels