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Munich (dpa) - There is great concern about the consequences of plastic in the seas.
But garbage not only threatens species - it can also be a habitat.
An international team of researchers from China and Germany found a new biodiversity hotspot - of all things in the plastic waste that has been accumulating in the earth's deep-sea trenches for decades.
A species-rich ecosystem has developed there.
"It is the first time that you look closely at the fauna sitting on the plastic," said the zoologist Bernhard Ruthensteiner from the Zoological State Collection Munich (SNSB-ZSM) involved in the study on Thursday.
However, the new diversity is not necessarily a good sign.
Because the spread of certain organisms could lead to changes in the ecosystems of the seas.
The study was published in the zoological journal "Environmental Science & Technology Letters".
The team led by Xikun Song from the University of Xiamen in China, ex-guest scientist at the SNSB-ZSM, had examined plastic waste in a deep-sea trench in the South China Sea with the help of a manned submersible.
Around 52,000 plastic parts per square kilometer were stored there at a depth of 1700 to 3200 meters.
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The scientists found 49 species that apparently lived on and in the food packaging, bags or bottles.
These included fixed animals such as mushrooms, corals and barnacles, but also free-living flatworms and snails.
"The abundance of shapes but also the density of individuals on individual pieces surprised us," said Ruthensteiner.
"A great many organisms need solid materials in order to reproduce," explained the zoologist.
In many places, however, the seabed is soft and muddy.
That is probably the reason for the settlement
The team did not address the effects of microplastics that damage biodiversity.
Large plastic parts can also be dangerous for animals, for example if they mistake the pieces for food and eat them.
Sometimes animals get stuck in plastic waste.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210218-99-496517 / 2
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