Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tai data-artikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä (A1)
The hidden cost of following currents: Microplastic ingestion in a planktivorous seabird
Julkaisun tekijät: De Pascalis F, De Felice B, Parolini M, Pisu D, Pala D, Antonioli D, Perin E, Gianotti V, Ilahiane L, Masoero G, Serra L, Rubolini D, Cecere JG
Kustantaja: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Julkaisuvuosi: 2022
Journal: Marine Pollution Bulletin
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Lehden akronyymi: MAR POLLUT BULL
Volyymi: 182
Sivujen määrä: 6
ISSN: 0025-326X
eISSN: 1879-3363
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114030
Verkko-osoite: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X22007123
Tiivistelmä
Microplastics are increasingly pervasive pollutants, particularly abundant in the neuston where they drift with currents. We assessed dietary microplastic ingestion in the Mediterranean storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis), a small pelagic seabird that forages on plankton and inhabit the Mediterranean sea, one of the most polluted seas worldwide. We collected spontaneous regurgitates from 30 chick-rearing individuals and used GPS tracking data from 7 additional individuals to locate foraging areas. Birds foraged in pelagic areas characterized by water stirring and mixing, and regurgitates from 14 individuals (i.e. 45 %) contained microplastics. Fibers were the dominant shape (56 %), with polyester, polyethylene and nylon being the most frequent polymers. Our findings highlight the potential sensitivity of this species of conservation interest to plastic pollution and suggest that storm petrel regurgitates can be a valuable matrix to investigate microplastic ingestion in planktonic for-agers, providing a characterization of spatio-temporal patterns of microplastic exposure in pelagic environments.
Microplastics are increasingly pervasive pollutants, particularly abundant in the neuston where they drift with currents. We assessed dietary microplastic ingestion in the Mediterranean storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis), a small pelagic seabird that forages on plankton and inhabit the Mediterranean sea, one of the most polluted seas worldwide. We collected spontaneous regurgitates from 30 chick-rearing individuals and used GPS tracking data from 7 additional individuals to locate foraging areas. Birds foraged in pelagic areas characterized by water stirring and mixing, and regurgitates from 14 individuals (i.e. 45 %) contained microplastics. Fibers were the dominant shape (56 %), with polyester, polyethylene and nylon being the most frequent polymers. Our findings highlight the potential sensitivity of this species of conservation interest to plastic pollution and suggest that storm petrel regurgitates can be a valuable matrix to investigate microplastic ingestion in planktonic for-agers, providing a characterization of spatio-temporal patterns of microplastic exposure in pelagic environments.
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