Table 3.
Chemical type assignment of marine microdebris in juvenile coral trout.
| Chemical type | Fibres | Particles | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYNTHETIC | |||
| Thermoplastics | |||
| Acrylic | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Thermoset and elastomer plastics | |||
| Polyester | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Polysiloxane | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Organics | |||
| Alkylphosphate ester | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| SEMI-SYNTHETIC | |||
| Regenerated | |||
| Cellulose-regenerated | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Regenerated composites | |||
| Cellulose-regenerated: cellulose-natural | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| Cellulose-regenerated: keratin | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| NFPCs | |||
| NFPC: acrylic | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| NFPC: keratin: nylon | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| NFPC: nylon | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| NFPC: polyester | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| NFPC: polypropylene | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| NFPC: polyurethane | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| NATURALLY-DERIVED | |||
| Plants | |||
| Cellulose | 27 | 0 | 27 |
| Animals | |||
| Keratin | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Composites | |||
| Cellulose: cellulose | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Cellulose: keratin | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Inorganics | |||
| Pigment | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 112 | 3 | 115 |
A total of 115 marine microdebris items (112 fibres, three particles) were detected in the gastrointestinal tract of 20 similarly-sized juvenile coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus and P. maculatus) collected on reefs around four reef islands in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia, in 2011. Assignment was based on the chemical type as determined by ATR-FTIR, results from Compare analyses, and visual inspection of photographs. Items were classified as synthetic, semi-synthetic, or naturally-derived. NFPC = natural fibre reinforced polymer composites.