SJNY PROFESSOR LEADS MICROPLASTIC RESEARCH

May 15, 2025

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – May 15, 2025 – St. Joseph’s University, New York (SJNY) Associate Professor of Biology Konstantine Rountos, Ph.D., and Afifah Khan ’24, who graduated from SJNY with a B.S. in Biology last year, published a new meta-analysis in Marine Environmental Research that revealed the way marine suspension-feeding invertebrates feed significantly affects their level of microplastic contamination. 

Titled “Evaluation of Microplastics in Marine Selective and Non-Selective Suspension-Feeding Benthic Invertebrates,” the study analyzed data from 144 peer-reviewed articles, compiling findings from 131 species across seven Phyla and 12 Classes worldwide.

Microplastic pollution is increasingly recognized as a pervasive threat to marine ecosystems. Suspension-feeding benthic invertebrates—organisms that obtain particles from the water column—are particularly at risk. This study is the first to systematically compare microplastic contamination between selective (e.g. oysters, mussels, clams, etc.) and non-selective (e.g. sponges, polychaetes, tunicates, etc.) suspension-feeding invertebrates on a global scale.

The researchers found that non-selective feeders had significantly higher concentrations of microplastics (MPs) compared to their selective counterparts. While the detection frequency of MPs was comparable between the two groups, the relative concentration in non-selective suspension feeders was significantly greater, with 9.13 MPs per individual and 138.52 MPs per gram wet weight, compared to 6.33 MPs per individual and 3.45 MPs per gram wet weight in selective suspension-feeders.

Microfibers and fragments were the most commonly detected microplastic shapes, with polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polypropylene dominating the polymer types found. The study also uncovered significant differences in MP presence across different taxonomic groups.

“These findings underscore how feeding behavior directly influences microplastic concentrations,” said Dr. Rountos, corresponding and senior author of the study. “Non-selective feeders, which indiscriminately capture suspended material, may serve as critical sentinel species for monitoring marine microplastic pollution.” 

This comprehensive global analysis contributes vital insights to the growing body of research on microplastic pollution and supports more targeted monitoring strategies in marine environments. 

“Working on this project was a transformative experience for me that shows how St. Joseph's can truly prepare students,” said Khan. “It challenged me to think critically, and fine-tune skills in data analysis and scientific communication.”

This is the third peer-reviewed publication that Dr. Rountos has completed with his undergraduate research students published in the last five years. 

Dr. Rountos adds, “The Department of Biology at SJNY prides itself on offering our undergraduates world-class research opportunities, so they can be biologists and not just learn from a textbook.”

For more information, visit sjny.edu.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK
St. Joseph’s University, New York has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the University provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. Through its Brooklyn, Long Island and Online campuses, the University offers degrees in more than 100 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.