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Marine plastic debris emits a keystone infochemical for olfactory foraging seabirds.

ABSTRACT: Plastic debris is ingested by hundreds of species of organisms, from zooplankton to baleen whales, but how such a diversity of consumers can mistake plastic for their natural prey is largely unknown. The sensory mechanisms underlying plastic detection and consumption have rarely been examined within the context of sensory signals driving marine food web dynamics. We demonstrate experimentally that marine-seasoned microplastics produce a dimethyl sulfide (DMS) signature that is also a keystone odorant for natural trophic interactions. We further demonstrate a positive relationship between DMS responsiveness and plastic ingestion frequency using procellariiform seabirds as a model taxonomic group. Together, these results suggest that plastic debris emits the scent of a marine infochemical, creating an olfactory trap for susceptible marine wildlife.

SUBMITTER: Savoca MS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5569953 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Marine plastic debris emits a keystone infochemical for olfactory foraging seabirds.

Savoca Matthew S MS Wohlfeil Martha E ME Ebeler Susan E SE Nevitt Gabrielle A GA

Science advances 20161109 11

Plastic debris is ingested by hundreds of species of organisms, from zooplankton to baleen whales, but how such a diversity of consumers can mistake plastic for their natural prey is largely unknown. The sensory mechanisms underlying plastic detection and consumption have rarely been examined within the context of sensory signals driving marine food web dynamics. We demonstrate experimentally that marine-seasoned microplastics produce a dimethyl sulfide (DMS) signature that is also a keystone od ...[more]

PMID: 28861463

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Comment on "Marine plastic debris emits a keystone infochemical for olfactory foraging seabirds" by Savoca et al.

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