http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-014-2432-8

Miriam C. Goldstein, Henry S. Carson, Marcus Eriksen
Relationship of diversity and habitat area in North Pacific
plastic-associated rafting communities
Marine Biology
April 2014
DOI 10.1007/s00227-014-2432-8

Abstract
Plastic and other anthropogenic debris (e.g., rubber, tar) augment
natural floating substrates (e.g., algal rafts, pumice) in the open
ocean, allowing ?islands? of substrate-associated organisms to persist
in an otherwise unsuitable habitat. We examined a total of 242 debris
objects collected in the eastern Pacific in 2009 and 2011 (32?39°N,
130?142°W) and the western Pacific in 2012 (19?41°N, 143?156°E). Here,
we ask: (a) What taxa are associated with plastic rafts in the North
Pacific? and (b) Does the number of taxa associated with plastic debris
vary with the size of the debris ?island?? We documented 95 rafting taxa
from 11 phyla. We identified several potentially invasive
plastic-associated rafting taxa, including the coral pathogen
Halofolliculina spp. In concordance with classic species?area curves,
the number of rafting taxa was positively correlated with the size of
the raft. Our findings suggest that diversity patterns on plastic debris
are compatible with the concept of island biogeography.

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