3D printed plant-based biodegradable materials as alternative for PVC panels in monitoring coastal marine communities

Coastal marine environments are some of the most productive and overexploited ecosystems on earth. Coastal ecosystems, like oyster and coral reefs, need physical structures to establish and habitat destruction has led to the destabilization of reef structures resulting in massive biodiversity losses. For decades, researchers have utilized PolyVinyl Chloride (PVC) panels as artificial larval settlement panels to study recruitment and community dynamics in these incredibly important ecosystems. Unfortunately, PVC itself is relatively toxic, the panels are smooth which makes it difficult for larval settlement, and it can take months to see establishment because larvae need settlement cues on PVC from biofilm development. This study assessed the use of 3D printed panels constructed out of plant-based biodegradable materials as an alternative to PVC panels. Panels constructed of three different corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) materials (white impact modified, gray impact modified, wood pulp) were tested at a well monitored site along the Long Island Sound in Connecticut, US. Overall, the 3D printed panels had equal or higher recruitment compared to the PVC panels. Beyond the normal application of panels for ecological assessment of local settlement, this work highlights that using innovative, biodegradable panels has strong potential in reestablishing these overburdened yet critical ecosystems. Additionally, the 3D printed panels were economically beneficial to use, which increases equity in this conservation crisis field as material expense can be cost prohibitive.