Recommended best practices for plastic and litter ingestion studies in marine birds: Collection, processing, and reporting

FACETS

Stephanie B. Borrelle¹  Susanne Kühn²  Jennifer L. Lavers³  Jan A. van Franeker⁴  Jennifer F. Provencher⁵  Alexander L. Bond⁶  Sjúrður Hammer⁷  Stephanie Avery-Gomm⁸  Mark L. Mallory⁸ 

[1] Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada;Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia;Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust, Leigh 0947, Auckland, New Zealand;Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, UK;Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3, Canada;David H. Smith Conservation Research Program, Society for Conservation Biology, Washington, DC 20005, USA;Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia;Wageningen Marine Research, Ankerpark 27, 1781 AG Den Helder, the Netherlands;

关键词: bird;    bolus;    diet analysis;    marine debris;    method standardization;    necropsy;    plastic debris;    plastic ingestion;   

DOI  :  10.1139/facets-2018-0043

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Marine plastic pollution is an environmental contaminant of significant concern. There is a lack of consistency in sample collection and processing that continues to impede meta-analyses and large-scale comparisons across time and space. This is true for most taxa, including seabirds, which are the most studied megafauna group with regards to plastic ingestion research. Consequently, it is difficult to evaluate the impacts and extent of plastic contamination in seabirds fully and accurately, and to make inferences about species for which we have little or no data. We provide a synthesized set of recommendations specific for seabirds and plastic ingestion studies that include best practices in relation to sample collection, processing, and reporting, as well as highlighting some “cross-cutting” methods. We include guidance for how carcasses, regurgitations, and pellets should be handled and treated to prevent cross-contamination, and a discussion of what size class of microplastics can be assessed in each sample type. Although we focus on marine bird samples, we also include standardized techniques to remove sediment and biological material that are generalizable to other taxa. Lastly, metrics and data presentation of ingested plastics are briefly reviewed in the context of seabird studies.

【 授权许可】

Unknown