bcodmo_dataset_952988_v1 eng UTF8 dataset service Adam Shepherd BCO-DMO 508-289-2772 266 Woods Hole Rd. MS#36 Woods Hole MA 02543 USA erddap@bco-dmo.org pointOfContact 2026-04-08 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) 2 column row [PMP counts in sponges and seawater from Panama] - Potential microplastic counts of 6 common Caribbean spong species collected June 21, 2019 in Bocas del Toro, Panama (Collaborative Research: Investigations into microbially mediated ecological diversification in sponges) 2026-04-08 creation erddap.bco-dmo.org bcodmo_dataset_952988_v1 BCO-DMO info@bco-dmo.org https://osprey.bco-dmo.org/dataset/952988 information web browser Background Information Background information from the source information originator Microplastics (MP) are now considered ubiquitous across global aquatic environments. The ingestion of MP by fish and other marine vertebrates is well studied, but the ingestion of MP by marine invertebrates is not. Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are particularly understudied when it comes to MP ingestion, even though they are widely distributed across benthic habitats, can process large volumes of seawater, and can retain small particles within their water filtration systems. This study examines the presence of potential MP (PMP) in wild marine sponges and seawater collected in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. Subsurface seawater and tissue from six common Caribbean sponge species was collected in Saigon Bay, a heavily impacted, shallow-water coral reef. Seawater samples were filtered onto glass fiber filters to retain any PMP present and sponge tissue was digested with bleach, heated and filtered. Filters were examined using fluorescence microscopy to quantify PMP. An average of 107 ± 25 PMP L–1 was detected in seawater from Saigon Bay with particles ranging in size between 10 μm and ~3,000 μm. The number of PMP found in sponge tissue ranged between 6 ± 4 and 169 ± 71 PMP g–1 of dry tissue. Most particles found in sponge samples were very small (10–20 μm), but fibers greater than 5,000 μm were detected. Our results indicate that PMP exists within the tissues of the sponges we studied, but future studies should confirm the presence of MP in sponges using chemical analysis. Most importantly, the discrepancy between low levels of PMP in our sponge samples and high levels in the surrounding seawater highlights the potential for sponges to resist and/or egest MP. Finally, we provide a critical evaluation of our methods to improve their use in future MP work with benthic marine organisms. BCO-DMO info@bco-dmo.org https://osprey.bco-dmo.org/dataset/952988 information web browser Background Information Background information from the source information pointOfContact earth science atmosphere ocean biosphere biology environment theme BCO-DMO project latitude longitude theme CF The data may be used and redistributed for free but is not intended for legal use, since it may contain inaccuracies. Neither the data Contributor, ERD, NOAA, nor the United States Government, nor any of their employees or contractors, makes any warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness, of this information. BCO-DMO largerWorkCitation project eng geoscientificInformation 1 -82.25638 -82.25638 9.345775 9.345775 [PMP counts in sponges and seawater from Panama] - Potential microplastic counts of 6 common Caribbean spong species collected June 21, 2019 in Bocas del Toro, Panama (Collaborative Research: Investigations into microbially mediated ecological diversification in sponges) 2026-04-08 creation BCO-DMO info@bco-dmo.org https://osprey.bco-dmo.org/dataset/952988 information web browser Background Information Background information from the source information originator Microplastics (MP) are now considered ubiquitous across global aquatic environments. The ingestion of MP by fish and other marine vertebrates is well studied, but the ingestion of MP by marine invertebrates is not. Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are particularly understudied when it comes to MP ingestion, even though they are widely distributed across benthic habitats, can process large volumes of seawater, and can retain small particles within their water filtration systems. This study examines the presence of potential MP (PMP) in wild marine sponges and seawater collected in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. Subsurface seawater and tissue from six common Caribbean sponge species was collected in Saigon Bay, a heavily impacted, shallow-water coral reef. Seawater samples were filtered onto glass fiber filters to retain any PMP present and sponge tissue was digested with bleach, heated and filtered. Filters were examined using fluorescence microscopy to quantify PMP. An average of 107 ± 25 PMP L–1 was detected in seawater from Saigon Bay with particles ranging in size between 10 μm and ~3,000 μm. The number of PMP found in sponge tissue ranged between 6 ± 4 and 169 ± 71 PMP g–1 of dry tissue. Most particles found in sponge samples were very small (10–20 μm), but fibers greater than 5,000 μm were detected. Our results indicate that PMP exists within the tissues of the sponges we studied, but future studies should confirm the presence of MP in sponges using chemical analysis. Most importantly, the discrepancy between low levels of PMP in our sponge samples and high levels in the surrounding seawater highlights the potential for sponges to resist and/or egest MP. Finally, we provide a critical evaluation of our methods to improve their use in future MP work with benthic marine organisms. ERDDAP tabledap 1 -82.25638 -82.25638 9.345775 9.345775 tight ERDDAPtabledapDatasetQueryAndAccess https://erddap.bco-dmo.org/erddap/tabledap/bcodmo_dataset_952988_v1 ERDDAP:tabledap ERDDAP-tabledap ERDDAP's tabledap service (a flavor of OPeNDAP) for tabular (sequence) data. Add different extensions (e.g., .html, .graph, .das, .dds) to the base URL for different purposes. download [PMP counts in sponges and seawater from Panama] - Potential microplastic counts of 6 common Caribbean spong species collected June 21, 2019 in Bocas del Toro, Panama (Collaborative Research: Investigations into microbially mediated ecological diversification in sponges) 2026-04-08 creation BCO-DMO info@bco-dmo.org https://osprey.bco-dmo.org/dataset/952988 information web browser Background Information Background information from the source information originator Microplastics (MP) are now considered ubiquitous across global aquatic environments. The ingestion of MP by fish and other marine vertebrates is well studied, but the ingestion of MP by marine invertebrates is not. Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are particularly understudied when it comes to MP ingestion, even though they are widely distributed across benthic habitats, can process large volumes of seawater, and can retain small particles within their water filtration systems. This study examines the presence of potential MP (PMP) in wild marine sponges and seawater collected in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. Subsurface seawater and tissue from six common Caribbean sponge species was collected in Saigon Bay, a heavily impacted, shallow-water coral reef. Seawater samples were filtered onto glass fiber filters to retain any PMP present and sponge tissue was digested with bleach, heated and filtered. Filters were examined using fluorescence microscopy to quantify PMP. An average of 107 ± 25 PMP L–1 was detected in seawater from Saigon Bay with particles ranging in size between 10 μm and ~3,000 μm. The number of PMP found in sponge tissue ranged between 6 ± 4 and 169 ± 71 PMP g–1 of dry tissue. Most particles found in sponge samples were very small (10–20 μm), but fibers greater than 5,000 μm were detected. Our results indicate that PMP exists within the tissues of the sponges we studied, but future studies should confirm the presence of MP in sponges using chemical analysis. Most importantly, the discrepancy between low levels of PMP in our sponge samples and high levels in the surrounding seawater highlights the potential for sponges to resist and/or egest MP. Finally, we provide a critical evaluation of our methods to improve their use in future MP work with benthic marine organisms. OPeNDAP 1 -82.25638 -82.25638 9.345775 9.345775 tight OPeNDAPDatasetQueryAndAccess https://erddap.bco-dmo.org/erddap/tabledap/bcodmo_dataset_952988_v1 OPeNDAP:OPeNDAP OPeNDAP An OPeNDAP service for tabular (sequence) data. Add different extensions (e.g., .html, .das, .dds) to the base URL for different purposes. download physicalMeasurement Sample String Sample Species String Species Individual_number int Individual_number Subsample_set int Subsample_set Empty_Mass_g float Empty_mass_g Full_Mass_g float Full_mass_g Dry_Mass_g float Dry_mass_g NumberPMP int Numberpmp Corrected_Net_NumberPMP float Corrected_net_numberpmp NumberPMP_g_dry_tissue float Numberpmp_g_dry_tissue sampling_date String Sampling_date Adam Shepherd BCO-DMO 508-289-2772 266 Woods Hole Rd. MS#36 Woods Hole MA 02543 USA erddap@bco-dmo.org distributor OPeNDAP DAP/2.0 https://erddap.bco-dmo.org/erddap/tabledap/bcodmo_dataset_952988_v1.html order Data Subset Form ERDDAP's version of the OPeNDAP .html web page for this dataset. Specify a subset of the dataset and download the data via OPeNDAP or in many different file types. download https://erddap.bco-dmo.org/erddap/tabledap/bcodmo_dataset_952988_v1.graph order Make-A-Graph Form ERDDAP's Make-A-Graph .html web page for this dataset. Create an image with a map or graph of a subset of the data. mapDigital This record was created from dataset metadata by ERDDAP Version 2.22