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Table of Contents
Group 10
Introduction
Many marine fish begin their life at ocean surface, where it lives for days to weeks, feeding mainly from zooplankton until its development is complete. The availability of such resource is therefore fundamental for these marine fish species survival.
Surface slicks are meandering lines of convergence on the ocean surface, usually formed by wind and internal waves, that accumulate zooplankton and other microorganisms, becoming an attractive spot for larval fish to feed when compared with other ocean surface areas. As the distance between surface slicks are of the order of 1 kilometer, some larval fish with increased swimming competency are able to migrate to surface slicks in order to capitalize on concentrated prey prey resources.
However, these surface slicks also tend to accumulate micro plastics that are often mistaken as food by larval fish. Slicks contain a 7:1 ratio of plastics:resource, which is much larger than the ratio of 1:2 found in other surface areas. Consuming plastics may have multiple negative effects in fish growth, posing a threat to some species as its main nurseries become plastic deposits.
Assignment
Build a mathematical model for the fish population, incorporating the effects of resource and plastic accumulation in slicks and also the possible harmful effects plastics may cause in fish population.
Questions & Suggestions
Could larval fish maintain the plastic levels in surface slicks under control due to its erroneous consumption?
Could fish adapt to avoid surface slicks due to plastic accumulation? Would it make surface slicks a refuge for zooplankton? If so, could it be reversed once the ratio of plastics to zooplankton become small?