TY - JOUR
T1 - Microplastic and macroplastic ingestion by a deep diving, oceanic cetacean
T2 - The True's beaked whale Mesoplodon mirus
AU - Lusher, Amy L.
AU - Hernandez-Milian, Gema
AU - O'Brien, Joanne
AU - Berrow, Simon
AU - O'Connor, Ian
AU - Officer, Rick
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/4
Y1 - 2015/4
N2 - When mammals strand, they present a unique opportunity to obtain insights into their ecology. In May 2013, three True's beaked whales (two adult females and a female calf) stranded on the north and west coasts of Ireland and the contents of their stomachs and intestines were analysed for anthropogenic debris. A method for identifying microplastics ingested by larger marine organisms was developed. Microplastics were identified throughout the digestive tract of the single whale that was examined for the presence of microplastics. The two adult females had macroplastic items in their stomachs. Food remains recovered from the adult whales consisted of mesopelagic fish (Benthosema glaciale, Nansenia spp., Chauliodius sloani) and cephalopods, although trophic transfer has been discussed, it was not possible to ascertain whether prey were the source of microplastics. This is the first study to directly identify microplastics <5 mm in a cetacean species.
AB - When mammals strand, they present a unique opportunity to obtain insights into their ecology. In May 2013, three True's beaked whales (two adult females and a female calf) stranded on the north and west coasts of Ireland and the contents of their stomachs and intestines were analysed for anthropogenic debris. A method for identifying microplastics ingested by larger marine organisms was developed. Microplastics were identified throughout the digestive tract of the single whale that was examined for the presence of microplastics. The two adult females had macroplastic items in their stomachs. Food remains recovered from the adult whales consisted of mesopelagic fish (Benthosema glaciale, Nansenia spp., Chauliodius sloani) and cephalopods, although trophic transfer has been discussed, it was not possible to ascertain whether prey were the source of microplastics. This is the first study to directly identify microplastics <5 mm in a cetacean species.
KW - Atlantic ocean
KW - Marine pollution
KW - Microplastics
KW - Plastic debris
KW - True's beaked whale
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84922369975&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.01.023
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.01.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 25667115
AN - SCOPUS:84922369975
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 199
SP - 185
EP - 191
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
ER -