Microplastic ingestion ubiquitous in marine turtles.

Autor: Duncan EM; Marine Turtle Research Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.; College of Life and Environmental Sciences: Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.; Marine Ecology and Biodiversity, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK., Broderick AC; Marine Turtle Research Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK., Fuller WJ; Marine Turtle Research Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Near East University, Nicosia, North Cyprus, Turkey.; Society for Protection of Turtles, Kyrenia, North Cyprus, Turkey., Galloway TS; College of Life and Environmental Sciences: Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK., Godfrey MH; North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Beaufort, North Carolina., Hamann M; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia., Limpus CJ; Department of Environment and Science, Threatened Species Unit, Brisbane, QLD, Australia., Lindeque PK; Marine Ecology and Biodiversity, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK., Mayes AG; School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK., Omeyer LCM; Marine Turtle Research Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK., Santillo D; Greenpeace Research Laboratories, School of Biosciences, Innovation Centre Phase 2, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK., Snape RTE; Marine Turtle Research Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.; Society for Protection of Turtles, Kyrenia, North Cyprus, Turkey., Godley BJ; Marine Turtle Research Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Global change biology [Glob Chang Biol] 2019 Feb; Vol. 25 (2), pp. 744-752. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Dec 04.
DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14519
Abstrakt: Despite concerns regarding the environmental impacts of microplastics, knowledge of the incidence and levels of synthetic particles in large marine vertebrates is lacking. Here, we utilize an optimized enzymatic digestion methodology, previously developed for zooplankton, to explore whether synthetic particles could be isolated from marine turtle ingesta. We report the presence of synthetic particles in every turtle subjected to investigation (n = 102) which included individuals from all seven species of marine turtle, sampled from three ocean basins (Atlantic [ATL]: n = 30, four species; Mediterranean (MED): n = 56, two species; Pacific (PAC): n = 16, five species). Most particles (n = 811) were fibres (ATL: 77.1% MED: 85.3% PAC: 64.8%) with blue and black being the dominant colours. In lesser quantities were fragments (ATL: 22.9%: MED: 14.7% PAC: 20.2%) and microbeads (4.8%; PAC only; to our knowledge the first isolation of microbeads from marine megavertebrates). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) of a subsample of particles (n = 169) showed a range of synthetic materials such as elastomers (MED: 61.2%; PAC: 3.4%), thermoplastics (ATL: 36.8%: MED: 20.7% PAC: 27.7%) and synthetic regenerated cellulosic fibres (SRCF; ATL: 63.2%: MED: 5.8% PAC: 68.9%). Synthetic particles being isolated from species occupying different trophic levels suggest the possibility of multiple ingestion pathways. These include exposure from polluted seawater and sediments and/or additional trophic transfer from contaminated prey/forage items. We assess the likelihood that microplastic ingestion presents a significant conservation problem at current levels compared to other anthropogenic threats.
(© 2018 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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