TY - JOUR
T1 - Monitoring the occurrence of microplastic ingestion in Otariids along the Peruvian and Chilean coasts
AU - Perez-Venegas, Diego J.
AU - Toro-Valdivieso, Constanza
AU - Ayala, Félix
AU - Brito, Beatriz
AU - Iturra, Lunna
AU - Arriagada, Maite
AU - Seguel, Mauricio
AU - Barrios, Carmen
AU - Sepúlveda, Maritza
AU - Oliva, Doris
AU - Cárdenas-Alayza, Susana
AU - Urbina, Mauricio A.
AU - Jorquera, Alberto
AU - Castro-Nallar, Eduardo
AU - Galbán-Malagón, Cristóbal
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the reviewers for their valuable comments to manuscript. This study was partially funded by Rufford Foundation Small Grant N 18815-1. DP-V acknowledges the PhD support and Inciación a la Investigación Research Grant provided by Dirección de Investigación y Doctorados, Universidad Andrés Bello. CG-M received financial support from CONICYT - FONDECYT (Grant 11150548 and 116504 ) and Instituto Antártico Chileno Grant ( INACh RT_12_17 ), and Conicyt PCI ( REDI 170292 and REDI 170403 ). MSep received support from Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Turismo through Iniciativa Científica Milenio (Núcleo Milenio INVASAL) and Dirección de Investigación Universidad de Valparaíso (Grant DIUV 38/2013 ). MS was supported by a Morris Animal Foundation fellowship (Grant N D16ZO-413 ). SCA was through the operational budget of the Punta San Juan Program supported by the Saint Louis Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society, Kansas City Zoo and Woodland Park Zoo. ECN was funded by “ CONICYT - FONDECYT (Grant 111609059 ). Special thanks are given to Mr. Diego Meneses due his help carrying out laboratory analysis. We acknowledge the Peruvian government agencies SERNANP for access inside the RNSIIPG-Punta San Juan reserve and AGRORURAL for use of field facilities (permit RJ No. 019-2016-SERNANP-RNSIIPG). There is no need to ask for permission to collect feces in the case of Chile but we asked for a permission We acknowledge the Chilean government for the authorization of Access to protected areas when was needed (permits 009/2017; SUBPESCA PINV 002/2017 Res. Ex. 43; Res. Ex. N976, 2016; Res. Ex. N 88 2015; Res Ex. 88 2014).
PY - 2020/4
Y1 - 2020/4
N2 - Repeated reports of microplastic pollution in the marine pinniped diet have emerged in the last years. However, only few studies address the drivers of microplastics presence and the potential implications for monitoring microplastic pollution in the ocean. This study monitored their in the scats (N = 205) of four pinniped species/subspecies at five different locations in the southern Pacific Ocean (Peru and Chile). Samples from all rookeries contained microplastics, and overall, 68% of the examined scats contained fragments/fibers, mostly blue colored. We confirmed that 81.5% of the fragments/fibers were anthropogenic in origin, but only 30% were polymers. Scats from Juan Fernández Archipelago presented higher microplastic concentrations than continental rookeries. Also, the common diet in each location may influence the levels found in the samples. This study presents a useful non-invasive technique to track plastic pollution in top predator diets as bioindicators for future surveillance/management plans applied to different location.
AB - Repeated reports of microplastic pollution in the marine pinniped diet have emerged in the last years. However, only few studies address the drivers of microplastics presence and the potential implications for monitoring microplastic pollution in the ocean. This study monitored their in the scats (N = 205) of four pinniped species/subspecies at five different locations in the southern Pacific Ocean (Peru and Chile). Samples from all rookeries contained microplastics, and overall, 68% of the examined scats contained fragments/fibers, mostly blue colored. We confirmed that 81.5% of the fragments/fibers were anthropogenic in origin, but only 30% were polymers. Scats from Juan Fernández Archipelago presented higher microplastic concentrations than continental rookeries. Also, the common diet in each location may influence the levels found in the samples. This study presents a useful non-invasive technique to track plastic pollution in top predator diets as bioindicators for future surveillance/management plans applied to different location.
KW - Bioindicator
KW - Microfiber
KW - Microfragments
KW - PET
KW - Pinnipeds
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85080054475&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110966
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110966
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85080054475
VL - 153
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
SN - 0025-326X
M1 - 110966
ER -
