Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign?
Summary Plastic pollution affects marine ecosystems worldwide and poses risks for seabirds. Most recorded impacts on organisms are negative but, in some cases, the constructive use of plastic fragments or objects by birds has also been recorded. Small blue and green plastic fragments are found scatt...
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2021
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270921000538 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959270921000538 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0959270921000538 2024-03-03T08:43:17+00:00 Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? VAN DE CROMMENACKER, JANSKE SOARES, JOANNA H. LAROSE, CHRISTINE S. FEARE, CHRIS J. 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270921000538 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959270921000538 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Bird Conservation International volume 32, issue 4, page 641-654 ISSN 0959-2709 1474-0001 Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology journal-article 2021 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959270921000538 2024-02-08T08:35:52Z Summary Plastic pollution affects marine ecosystems worldwide and poses risks for seabirds. Most recorded impacts on organisms are negative but, in some cases, the constructive use of plastic fragments or objects by birds has also been recorded. Small blue and green plastic fragments are found scattered among nests in a large (c.500,000 pairs) Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus nesting colony on Bird Island, Seychelles. We investigated whether the fragments were being imported by the birds, and if so whether import was accidental or intentional. We found that Sooty Terns were the only seabird species to have plastic fragments in their nesting area and import of fragments varied seasonally and spatially. Throughout the colony, plastic fragments were imported during egg-laying, incubation, and chick-rearing, but import declined as chicks began to fledge. A part of the colony where all eggs were harvested for human consumption received more fragments than among undisturbed nests. We failed to find evidence of ingestion and excretion of fragments and suggest other avenues for investigation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Bird Island Cambridge University Press Bird Island ENVELOPE(-38.060,-38.060,-54.004,-54.004) Bird Conservation International 1 14 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
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English |
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Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology |
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Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology VAN DE CROMMENACKER, JANSKE SOARES, JOANNA H. LAROSE, CHRISTINE S. FEARE, CHRIS J. Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? |
topic_facet |
Nature and Landscape Conservation Animal Science and Zoology Ecology |
description |
Summary Plastic pollution affects marine ecosystems worldwide and poses risks for seabirds. Most recorded impacts on organisms are negative but, in some cases, the constructive use of plastic fragments or objects by birds has also been recorded. Small blue and green plastic fragments are found scattered among nests in a large (c.500,000 pairs) Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus nesting colony on Bird Island, Seychelles. We investigated whether the fragments were being imported by the birds, and if so whether import was accidental or intentional. We found that Sooty Terns were the only seabird species to have plastic fragments in their nesting area and import of fragments varied seasonally and spatially. Throughout the colony, plastic fragments were imported during egg-laying, incubation, and chick-rearing, but import declined as chicks began to fledge. A part of the colony where all eggs were harvested for human consumption received more fragments than among undisturbed nests. We failed to find evidence of ingestion and excretion of fragments and suggest other avenues for investigation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
VAN DE CROMMENACKER, JANSKE SOARES, JOANNA H. LAROSE, CHRISTINE S. FEARE, CHRIS J. |
author_facet |
VAN DE CROMMENACKER, JANSKE SOARES, JOANNA H. LAROSE, CHRISTINE S. FEARE, CHRIS J. |
author_sort |
VAN DE CROMMENACKER, JANSKE |
title |
Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? |
title_short |
Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? |
title_full |
Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? |
title_fullStr |
Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? |
title_sort |
importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign? |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959270921000538 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0959270921000538 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-38.060,-38.060,-54.004,-54.004) |
geographic |
Bird Island |
geographic_facet |
Bird Island |
genre |
Bird Island |
genre_facet |
Bird Island |
op_source |
Bird Conservation International volume 32, issue 4, page 641-654 ISSN 0959-2709 1474-0001 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0959270921000538 |
container_title |
Bird Conservation International |
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1 |
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14 |
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1792498714137329664 |