Ingestion of microplastic debris by green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Great Barrier Reef: Validation of a sequential extraction protocol

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:127

Article

Caron, Alexandra G. M.^1,2  Thomas, Colette R.^2,3  Berry, Kathryn L. E.¹  Motti, Cherie A.¹  Ariel, Ellen⁴  Brodie, Jon E.⁵ 

[1] Australian Inst Marine Sci PM3, Townsville, Qld 4810, Australia

[2] James Cook Univ, Ctr Trop Water & Aquat Ecosyst Res, TropWATER, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia

[3] SEED Sci, Sandgate 4017, Australia

[4] James Cook Univ, Coll Publ Hlth Med & Vet Sci, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia

[5] James Cook Univ, ARC Ctr Excellence Coral Reef Studies, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia

关键词: Marine turtle;    Plastic ingestion;    Plastic contamination;    Extraction technique;    Chemical digestion;    Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.12.062

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Ocean contamination by plastics is a global issue. Although ingestion of plastic debris by sea turtles has been widely documented, contamination by microplastics (< 5 mm) is poorly known and likely to be under-reported. We developed a microplastic extraction protocol for examining green turtle (Chelonia mydas) chyme, which is multifarious in nature, by modifying and combining pre-established methods used to separate microplastics from organic matter and sediments. This protocol consists of visual inspection, nitric acid digestion, emulsification of residual fat, density separation, and chemical identification by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. This protocol enables the extraction of polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, (aminoethyl) polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride microplastics > 100 mu m. Two macroplastics and seven microplastics (two plastic paint chips and five synthetic fabric particles) were isolated from subsamples of two green turtles. Our results highlight the need for more research towards understanding the impact of microplastics on these threatened marine reptiles.

【 授权许可】

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