Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica
Abstract Microplastics (< 5 mm) have been found in marine ecosystems worldwide, even in Antarctic ecosystems. In this study, the stomach and upper intestines of 14 dead gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks were collected and screened for microplastics on King George Island, a gateway to Antar...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:4b443c6dd0e54501b41118287ddaa5c5 2023-09-05T13:13:54+02:00 Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica Youmin Kim Hankyu Kim Min-Su Jeong Dowoon Kim Juyang Kim Jaehak Jung Hae-Min Seo Hyun-Jin Han Woo-Shin Lee Chang-Yong Choi 2023-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 https://doaj.org/article/4b443c6dd0e54501b41118287ddaa5c5 EN eng Nature Portfolio https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/4b443c6dd0e54501b41118287ddaa5c5 Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2023) Medicine R Science Q article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 2023-08-20T00:36:20Z Abstract Microplastics (< 5 mm) have been found in marine ecosystems worldwide, even in Antarctic ecosystems. In this study, the stomach and upper intestines of 14 dead gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks were collected and screened for microplastics on King George Island, a gateway to Antarctic research and tourism. A total of 378 microplastics were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, with 27.0 ± 25.3 microplastics per individual. The detected number of microplastics did not increase with the mass of penguin chicks, suggesting no permanent accumulation of microplastics. However, the concentration of microplastics was much higher (9.1 ± 10.8 microplastics per individual within the size range 100–5000 μm) than the previously reported concentration in the penguin feces, and a greater number of smaller microplastics were found. Marine debris surveys near the breeding colony found various plastic (79.3%) to be the most frequent type of beached debris, suggesting that local sources of marine plastic waste could have contributed to microplastic contamination of penguin chicks being fed by parents that forage in nearby seas. This finding confirms the presence of microplastics in an Antarctic ecosystem and suggests the need for stronger waste management in Antarctica and a standardized scheme of microplastic monitoring in this once-pristine ecosystem. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Gentoo penguin King George Island Pygoscelis papua Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Antarctic King George Island Scientific Reports 13 1 |
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Medicine R Science Q Youmin Kim Hankyu Kim Min-Su Jeong Dowoon Kim Juyang Kim Jaehak Jung Hae-Min Seo Hyun-Jin Han Woo-Shin Lee Chang-Yong Choi Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Medicine R Science Q |
description |
Abstract Microplastics (< 5 mm) have been found in marine ecosystems worldwide, even in Antarctic ecosystems. In this study, the stomach and upper intestines of 14 dead gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks were collected and screened for microplastics on King George Island, a gateway to Antarctic research and tourism. A total of 378 microplastics were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, with 27.0 ± 25.3 microplastics per individual. The detected number of microplastics did not increase with the mass of penguin chicks, suggesting no permanent accumulation of microplastics. However, the concentration of microplastics was much higher (9.1 ± 10.8 microplastics per individual within the size range 100–5000 μm) than the previously reported concentration in the penguin feces, and a greater number of smaller microplastics were found. Marine debris surveys near the breeding colony found various plastic (79.3%) to be the most frequent type of beached debris, suggesting that local sources of marine plastic waste could have contributed to microplastic contamination of penguin chicks being fed by parents that forage in nearby seas. This finding confirms the presence of microplastics in an Antarctic ecosystem and suggests the need for stronger waste management in Antarctica and a standardized scheme of microplastic monitoring in this once-pristine ecosystem. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Youmin Kim Hankyu Kim Min-Su Jeong Dowoon Kim Juyang Kim Jaehak Jung Hae-Min Seo Hyun-Jin Han Woo-Shin Lee Chang-Yong Choi |
author_facet |
Youmin Kim Hankyu Kim Min-Su Jeong Dowoon Kim Juyang Kim Jaehak Jung Hae-Min Seo Hyun-Jin Han Woo-Shin Lee Chang-Yong Choi |
author_sort |
Youmin Kim |
title |
Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica |
title_short |
Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica |
title_full |
Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica |
title_sort |
microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (pygoscelis papua) chicks on king george island, antarctica |
publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 https://doaj.org/article/4b443c6dd0e54501b41118287ddaa5c5 |
geographic |
Antarctic King George Island |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic King George Island |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Gentoo penguin King George Island Pygoscelis papua |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Gentoo penguin King George Island Pygoscelis papua |
op_source |
Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/4b443c6dd0e54501b41118287ddaa5c5 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39844-6 |
container_title |
Scientific Reports |
container_volume |
13 |
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1 |
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1776205020353527808 |