Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now home to dozen of coastal species, finds study

"Our results demonstrate that the oceanic environment and floating plastic habitat are clearly hospitable to coastal species. Coastal species with an array of life history traits can survive, reproduce, and have complex population and community structures in the open ocean," noted the research paper. 

The team found 484 marine invertebrate organisms living on the debris, representing 46 different species. Among them, 80 percent of these species belong to coastal habitats.

Examining 105 pieces

The researchers examined 105 pieces of debris collected between November 2018 and January 2019. Reproduction record of various types of coastal invertebrates in plastic habitats was also found. The plastic debris included fishing nets, ropes, and bottles, as per CNN.

Tiny crabs, sea anemones, white bryozoa, hydroids, shrimplike amphipods, Japanese oysters, and mussels were among the species found surviving in the plastic patch.

“Our results suggest that the historical lack of available substrate limited the colonization of the open ocean by coastal species, rather than physiological or ecological constraints as previously assumed. It appears that coastal species persist now in the open ocean as a substantial component of a neopelagic community sustained by the vast and expanding sea of plastic debris,” stated the research paper.

The study has been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. 

Study abstract:

We show that the high seas are colonized by a diverse array of coastal species, which survive and reproduce in the open ocean, contributing strongly to its floating community composition. Analysis of rafting plastic debris in the eastern North Pacific Subtropical Gyre revealed 37 coastal invertebrate taxa, largely of Western Pacific origin, exceeding pelagic taxa richness by threefold. Coastal taxa, including diverse taxonomic groups and life history traits, occurred on 70.5% of debris items. Most coastal taxa possessed either direct development or asexual reproduction, possibly facilitating long-term persistence on rafts. Our results suggest that the historical lack of available substrate limited the colonization of the open ocean by coastal species, rather than physiological or ecological constraints as previously assumed. It appears that coastal species persist now in the open ocean as a substantial component of a neopelagic community sustained by the vast and expanding sea of plastic debris.