Papers by Luca Gallitelli
Environmental Pollution, 2025
Plastic pollution is a widespread issue in marine ecosystems worldwide, and at the basin level, t... more Plastic pollution is a widespread issue in marine ecosystems worldwide, and at the basin level, the Mediterranean represents one of the main hotspots for plastic debris. Here, we present MPs pollution levels in the bivalve Donax trunculus, commonly known as wedge clam, considering both young and adult individuals, as well as sediment and water matrices across a national scale, covering the Tyrrhenian, Ionian, and Adriatic coasts of Italy. The aim is to provide an overview of MPs pollution in coastal ecosystems and assess whether wedge clams can act as an early warning sentinel for sandy habitats. Results highlighted that the Adriatic and Ionian coasts exhibited higher MPs levels than the Tyrrhenian coast across all matrices, with MPs pollution predominantly consisting of blue acrylic fibers. D. trunculus proved to be an excellent sentinel for MPs pollution in sediment. The findings also revealed that young individuals had more MPs than adults, highlighting potentially severe harm to the growth of marine organisms. As a commercially valuable species, this study underscores the urgent need to further investigate this issue, especially given its critical implications for both marine ecosystem health and human well-being.
The unknown fate of macroplastic in mountain rivers
Science of The Total Environment, Mar 1, 2023
Mountain rivers are typically seen as relatively pristine ecosystems, supporting numerous goods (... more Mountain rivers are typically seen as relatively pristine ecosystems, supporting numerous goods (e.g., water resources) for human populations living not only in the mountain regions but also downstream from them. Recent evidence suggests, however, that mountain river valleys in populated areas can be substantially polluted by macroplastic (plastic item > 5 mm). It is, however, unknown how distinct characteristics of mountain rivers modulate macroplastic routes through them, which makes planning effective mitigation strategies difficult. To stimulate future works on this gap, here, we present a conceptual model of macroplastic transport pathways through mountain river. Based on this model, we formulate four hypotheses on macroplastic input, transport and degradation in mountain rivers. Then, we propose designs of field experiments that allow each hypothesis to be tested. We hypothesize that some natural characteristics of mountain river catchments (e.g., steep valley slopes, mass movements occurence) can accelerate the input of improperly disposed macroplastic waste from the slope to the river. Further, we hypothesize that specific hydromorphological characteristics of mountain rivers (e.g., high flow velocity) accelerate the downstream transport rate of macroplastic and, together with the presence of shallow water and coarse bed sediments, can accelerate mechanical degradation of macroplastic in river channels, accelerating secondary microplastic production. The above suggests that mountain rivers in populated areas can act as microplastic factories, which are able to produce more microplastic from the same amount of macroplastic waste inputted into them (in comparison to lowland rivers that have a different hydromorphology). The produced risks can not only affect mountain rivers but can also be transported downstream. The challenge for the future is how to manage the hypothesized risks, especially in mountain areas particularly exposed to plastic pollution due to waste management deficiencies, high tourism pressure, poor ecological awareness of the population and lack of uniform regional and global regulations for the problem.
Natural History Sciences
We report evidence of the occurrence of the alien invasive crab Callinectes sapidus along the coa... more We report evidence of the occurrence of the alien invasive crab Callinectes sapidus along the coast of Latium (central Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Original data refer to five adult females found in July 2022 in the Special Protection Area of “Torre Flavia” (Municipalities of Ladispoli and Cerveteri; IT6030020). Indirect evidence was obtained by web sources and personal communications by tourists and fishermen from the same site (including a juvenile reported on February 2023) and from neighbouring localities: Passoscuro (Municipality of Fiumicino), Santa Marinella, and Tarquinia. The Atlantic blue crab appears sparsely distributed along the coast of Latium, although its presence, even if still occasional, might prelude to a concerning scenario in relation to its high invasiveness. The Atlantic blue crab is known to have a severe impact on the invaded habitats, including the transmission of pathogens and parasites. Therefore, further monitoring aimed at collecting data about the distribu...
General macro-litter as a proxy for fishing lines, hooks and nets entrapping beach-nesting birds: Implications for clean-ups
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2023
Fishing lines, hooks and nets represent a sub-category of macro-litter potentially entrapping plo... more Fishing lines, hooks and nets represent a sub-category of macro-litter potentially entrapping plover birds nesting on sandy beaches. Here, during a winter period, the accumulation pattern of both general beach litter and fishing lines, hooks and nets was analysed on four central Italy beaches. Despite the active monthly litter removal by clean-ups, there was not a decrease in its density during the winter period, due to the continuous accumulation by frequent winter storms. However, the entrapping litter was very low (<2.5 % of the general litter) and appeared directly correlated to the general litter density. Following a DPSIR approach, the general litter can act as an indirect pressure indicator (proxy) of the amount of entrapping litter. Therefore, an increase in general macro-litter should alarm those involved in the conservation of entanglement-sensitive bird species, such as plovers, suggesting that they should implement high-frequency clean-up activities aimed at removing it.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Jun 4, 2022
Anthropogenic plastic litter is widespread in all environments, with particular emphasis on aquat... more Anthropogenic plastic litter is widespread in all environments, with particular emphasis on aquatic habitats. Specifically, although freshwater mammals are important as they are at the top of food web, research mainly focus on marine animals, while only few studies have been carried out on freshwater mammals. The main gap is that microplastics (MP) are completely understudied in freshwater mammals. Here, we reported the first evidence of the presence of anthropogenic particles (including MP) in coypu (Myocastor coypus)' faeces. Coypu is a rodent mammal inhabiting rivers and wetland areas, and we discussed our preliminary data suggesting the use of these tracks as possible future bioindicator of MP pollution in wetlands and freshwaters. We collected 30 coypu's faeces in "Torre Flavia wetland" nature reserve. Then, in laboratory, faeces were digested in 30 ml hydrogen peroxide (30%) for a week a 20 °C and analysed under stereoscope. All the suspected found MP were isolated in a petri dish, using FT-IR analysis to confirm the polymers. Overall, we recorded 444 natural and anthropogenic particles with most of items being fibres. FT-IR analysis of the 10% of the particles recovered revealed that 72% of them was not MP (mainly, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyamide). Also, the number of anthropogenic particles is not correlated with the faecal weight. Given that alien species, such as coypu, are widespread species, our results might have a great importance as these species and MP in faecal tracks may be used as undirect proxy of environmental bioavailability of MP pollution.
Lost in the river: the plastic vegetation index for detecting plastics within vegetation
Plastics are a well-known problem that accumulates in the environment causing detrimental effects... more Plastics are a well-known problem that accumulates in the environment causing detrimental effects on ecosystems. Macroplastics in rivers are only recently studied, with most studies focusing on the transport of plastics to the sea. However, most plastics are retained in the fluvial system. To date, only abiotic factors have been considered in the transport process, but recently vegetation has proven to block plastics from having a pivotal role in influencing plastic riverine drift. Given that little is known on the biotic component affecting riverine plastic transport, we aimed at investigating further on (i) the three-dimensionality structure of riparian vegetation in trapping plastics along watercourses and (ii) to develop a vegetation index to describe vegetation structure and to understand the plastic entrapment service provided by plants. To do so, we sampled field data from central Italy rivers along the three riverine zones considering riparian vegetation in relation to river width. Data on plastics within vegetation has been recollected. Also, data on plant structures (i.e. the number of individuals and the number and height of branches per species) was sampled and then used to develop the 3D vegetation index (i.e. 3D Vegetation Index, 3DVI) considering the tridimensionality and diversity index. As result, plastics occurring in vegetation were significantly related to vegetation structure with the 3DVI correlated with the number of plastics (R2 = 0.36, p = 0.0086, Y = 0.007157*X + 2.562). Furthermore, the most dense and diverse community block more plastics. Considering different vegetation heights in all the rivers, there is a significant linear regression between the 3DVI in vegetation branches (0.52.0 m, respectively R2 = 0.38, p = 0.007, Y = 0.007662*X + 2.711 and R2 = 0.45, p = 0.0023, Y = 0.2522*X + 2.696). With regards to the three riverine zones, only in the lower river zone there was a significant regression between 3DVI and plastics in vegetation (R2 = 0.94, p = 0.001, Y = 108.0*X-143.7). Biotic factors (i.e. vegetation structure) most correlate to the occurrence of plastics in vegetation driving the plastic entrapment process more than the environmental abiotic factors (i.e. hydrology). Overall, we developed for the first time a vegetation index to describe the structure and diversity of the plant community related to the plastic entrapment service. The higher the 3DVI value, the more complex the vegetation (i.e. characterised by a lot of individuals and branches). We emphasized that plant structures are important variables for understanding the entrapment efficiency of macrolitter, highlighting that the complexity of vegetation structure is key for the trapping net effect. As vegetation retain plastics efficiently in all the zones providing us the ecosystem service of trapping macrolitter, the 3DVI could be applied for future solution to plastic pollution – also detecting plastic hotspot areas for mitigation and clean-up activities.
Hydrology, Nov 18, 2020
The release of plastics in freshwater is an increasing concern for ecosystem safety worldwide. Th... more The release of plastics in freshwater is an increasing concern for ecosystem safety worldwide. There is a large knowledge gap on plastic pollution in Mediterranean freshwater, especially regarding surveys along entire river courses, partly due to the absence of guidelines for standardized monitoring of plastics. The present study analyzes the plastic distribution from source to mouth, also according to the River Continuum Concept, of the environmental matrices (water and sediments) and biota (caddisfly cases) of the Mediterranean River Mignone and their cause-effect relationship. The results of the water quality indices (Extended Biotic Index and Fluvial Functionality Index) were compared with the plastic concentrations observed in the water and sediments to explore what relationship there might be and to understand if the indices could be a proxy of the plastic pollution. Our results showed a significant prevalence of blue fibers, the concentration of which in water and sediment is positively associated. Plastic concentration at each site was not accurately detected by the water quality indices. These results may suggest that the factors considered by water quality indices are not able to detect the contamination of plastic pollution. It is mandatory to identify new tools for assessing the plastic impacts on river ecosystems.
Dunal plants intercepting macrolitter: Implications for beach clean-ups
Marine Pollution Bulletin, Feb 1, 2023
Coastal vegetation intercepts macroplastics and, consequently, it may represent a reservoir of an... more Coastal vegetation intercepts macroplastics and, consequently, it may represent a reservoir of anthropogenic litter and organic wrack. We aimed at investigating (i) the abundance variation of macrolitter from the beach to foredune and backdune (three cross-shore plots over 20 long-shore sectors) and (ii) the role of the halopsammophilous plants and Phragmites australis reedbed in intercepting the macrolitter, respectively, in the foredunes and backdunes. The vegetation in the foredunes (mainly halo-psammophilous species) acted as a first interception belt for macrolitter, while the bigger litter reached the backdunes. Our results might be of great concern with implications for beach clean-ups – which must also be mainly focused in foredunes and backdunes, however warning operators in advance that they could damage the vegetation by trampling on.
Frontiers in Environmental Science, Aug 4, 2022
Nowadays, plastics represent growing concern in aquatic habitats, harming more and more both ecos... more Nowadays, plastics represent growing concern in aquatic habitats, harming more and more both ecosystem and human health. Since rivers are the main carriers of plastics to the sea, some studies were conducted on the transport of overall small plastics, but observations on big plastics (i.e., macroplastics) in rivers are poorly reported in the literature. Although most studies focused on plastic transport in the lower part of the rivers, research on the upper and middle zones are completely lacking. In this regard, this could influence the transport of plastics to the sea, with insights into the source and origin of macroplastics. Here, we aimed at overviewing macroplastic distribution along rivers, emphasizing on the global riverine plastic hotspot areas. First, 1) we analyzed and discussed the bibliometric analysis on macroplastics in rivers providing a framework for plastic pollution management. second, 2) we provided geographical insights into macroplastics by mapping global riverine plastic hotspot areas. Then, 3) we analyzed the main factors affecting macroplastic distribution and accumulation in rivers. Furthermore, 4) we assessed crucial gaps in riverine macroplastic accumulation, highlighting the importance of a plastic gradient in the horizontal transport along the entire river course (i.e., three river zones). Then, 5) we highlighted the lack of standardization regarding macroplastic size, concentration, and polymers that does not allow valuable comparisons among studies. At the end, 6) we concluded by providing future perspectives and conclusions on macroplastic distribution and accumulation in rivers worldwide. Our results might provide new insights into a comprehensive framework of macroplastic distribution along global rivers, suggesting the river rod approach as a way for future monitoring as all the complete course of a river plays a pivotal role in accumulating macroplastics.
Can macroplastics affect riparian vegetation blooming and pollination? First observations from a temperate South-European river
Ecological Indicators, Oct 1, 2023
Land, Mar 13, 2023
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
“The net trapping effect”: is riparian vegetation affecting riverine macrolitter distribution?
<p>Plastics represent a new widely distributed global concern, affecting aq... more <p>Plastics represent a new widely distributed global concern, affecting aquatic ecosystems. Macrolitter, with a focus on plastics, can cause detrimental effects on freshwater biota and also affect human health. Among freshwater systems, rivers are of particular interest as they carry the majority of macroplastic litter from the land to the seas. Recently, many studies quantified riverine macroplastic litter transport. Although plastic transport depends on river hydrometeorological factors (e.g. river discharge, wind speed) and geomorphological characteristics (e.g. meanders, river width), several studies highlighted macrolitter accumulation zones in riverbank vegetated areas. However, few studies observed the role of vegetation in entrapping macrolitter on riverbanks. Here, we aimed at quantifying for the first time the plant structure efficiency in macrolitter entrapment. To do so, we sampled riparian areas along 6 rivers in the three riverine zones (upper, middle, lower course) in Central Italy. For each river, riparian vegetation was sampled in relation to river width and riparian zone width. Overall, we found 1,548 macrolitter items on ~300 m<sup>2 </sup>of sampled riparian areas with plastics representing 96.3% of total litter. Specifically, riparian vegetation entrapped 93.9% of total litter, while 6.1% was found on unvegetated areas of the riverbank. The best efficient riparian plants in entrapping macrolitter were: (i) <em>Populus spp. </em>(51.6%), (ii) <em>Salix spp.</em> (19.0%), (iii) <em>Rubus ulmifolius</em> (6.7%), (iv) <em>Phragmites australis</em> (6.3%), and (v)<em> Ficus carica </em>(1.8%), accounting for 85.4% of the total macrolitter entrapped by plants. Precisely, plants entrapped macrolitter mainly in branches between 0.5 m and 2 m (69.5%) and below 0.5 m (28.3%). Plant structures (e.g. stolons, branches) form a sort of net that can trap litter but can also act as a wall retaining it. The top-5 items entrapped within plants (83.4% of total litter) were: (i) plastic pieces (74.7%), (ii) plastic bags (6.9%), (iii) plastic bendages (6.6%), (iv) sanitary and hygienic towels (4.8%), (v) plastic packaging (4.4%). Among river zones, plants in river lower course entrapped most macrolitter against the upper and middle zones. Some explaining factors for this could be changes in riparian vegetation characteristics and in hydrological regime, as well as higher leakage rate of macrolitter in the lower course of the river. In conclusion, the role of riparian vegetation in entrapping macrolitter is at an early stage, but with high potential to be developed and applied. For the first time, we characterized the role and the structure of riparian vegetation in entrapping macrolitter. We put our emphasis on plant species and structures that are important variables for understanding the entrapment efficiency of macrolitter, highlighting that the complexity of riparian vegetation structure is key for the trapping net effect. As riparian species can provide us the ecosystem service of trapping macrolitter, these findings are crucial for ecosystem restoration and sustainable requalification of the threatened freshwater habitats.</p>
From city to sea: Spatiotemporal dynamics of floating macrolitter in the Tiber River
Science of The Total Environment, 2023
Scientific Reports, Jan 12, 2021
Plastics are to date considered one of the main detrimental drivers for the health of aquatic eco... more Plastics are to date considered one of the main detrimental drivers for the health of aquatic ecosystems, both in marine and inland waters. Regarding the latter habitat, it seems surprising how the plastic effects on benthic invertebrates are neglected since macroinvertebrates have a long tradition in the water quality assessment activities. In this context, we propose timely indoor observations on the exposure of caddisfly Odontocerum albicorne and mayfly Ephemera danica to various microplastic polymers (ABS, PET, PP, PS, PVDF). Three different experimental designs were performed on caddisflies and mayflies by exposing their larvae to natural and microplastic substrates. Our findings highlighted how microplastics affected both caddisflies in rebuilding its own case (after having removed the natural one) and mayflies burrowing. Particularly, all caddisflies rebuilt cases using the microplastic polymers provided instead of natural items only. Moreover, we provide the first evidence that mayflies burrow mainly in microplastic substrates rather than in natural ones. Our research highlights that macroinvertebrate larvae would use naturally occurring microplastics and this could be of particular concern in freshwaters with high contamination by plastics. Indeed, larvae appear to not necessarily perceive microplastics as a direct stressor. Further studies ought to be conducted to understand the chronic perturbation on larvae fitness and for example, on drift behaviour. Also, further investigations are needed to understand the potentialities of using plastics by benthic macroinvertebrates. Plastics are synthetic organic polymers whose production is steadily increasing throughout recent years 1 , becoming an issue of growing concern in the Anthropocene, with fly ash, radionuclides, metals, pesticides and greenhouse gases 2. In particular, microplastics (MP) range from 1 µm to 5 mm and can be subdivided into large MP (lMP, 1-5 mm) and small MP (sMP, 1 µm-1 mm) 3,4. Moreover, MP can be classified into primary and secondary depending on their origin. Primary MP are industrially manufactured, such as microbeads used in cosmetic products (scrubs, toothpaste, etc.), while secondary MP originate from the fragmentation of larger plastic items, for example due to the environmental exposure (i.e. physical, chemical or biological degradation) of litter in water 5. MP are a highly variable class of contaminants, which are characterised by different shapes and colours 6. The most common shapes are fragments (three-dimensional shape), films (thin and flat foil), fibres (linear), beads and foams 7. MP are widespread worldwide in all systems: from aquatic to terrestrial, including atmospheric one 8. In aquatic ecosystems, most of the studies have focused on marine environment rather than freshwaters 9-11. Despite this, it has been highlighted that freshwaters (i.e. rivers) are among the main pathways of plastic release to the oceans 12,13. MP enter freshwater systems through diffuse (wind deposition and runoff) or point (wastewater treatment plants and improper disposal of litter) sources 8. The interactions between organisms and MP are deeply investigated in marine habitats rather than in freshwaters 14. The biological and ecological effects of MP in aquatic environments are diverse: the ingestion and consequent internal physical 15 and chemical damage 16,17 ; trophic transfer and biomagnification 18 ; absorption to MP surfaces of other contaminants such as heavy metals 19 , antibiotics 20,21 , polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 22,23 and polychlorinated bisphenols 24 ; transport of pathogens and alien species that colonize MP surface 25,26 .
Aquatic plants entrap different size of plastics in indoor flume experiments
Science of The Total Environment, Mar 1, 2023
Dunal plants as sink for anthropogenic marine litter: The entrapping role of Salsola kali L. (1753) in a Mediterranean remote beach (Sardinia, Italy)
Marine Pollution Bulletin, Jul 1, 2023
The ability to retain anthropogenic marine litter by a halo-psammophilous plant formation dominat... more The ability to retain anthropogenic marine litter by a halo-psammophilous plant formation dominated by a single prostrate species (Salsola kali) on a Sardinian beach was measured. We hypothesized that the anthropogenic litter (i) is trapped by plants to a greater extent than in control areas, and (ii) has more elongated size, mimicking the organic Posidonia wrack, largely occurring locally as ‘banquettes’. Salsola kali patches show an apparently higher anthropogenic litter density than control sites without vegetation. Salsola kali plants trap litter items significantly longer and a larger number of size length categories than control plots. These effects may be due to the prostrate structure of the plant with small thorns at the apex. Also, litter entrapped by plants can interfere with the mechanisms of dune deposition and structuration, in turn affecting food chains by decreasing the availability of organic material for pedofauna.
Microplastics affect the substrate choice in Ephemera danica Müller, 1764
Land, Feb 3, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Life on bottles: Colonisation of macroplastics by freshwater biota
Science of The Total Environment, May 1, 2023
Another one bites the plastics
Ecology and Evolution, Sep 1, 2022
Uploads
Papers by Luca Gallitelli