Dataset Information

Diet-related selectivity of macroplastic ingestion in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the eastern Mediterranean.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the drivers of key interactions between marine vertebrates and plastic pollution is now considered a research priority. Sea turtles are primarily visual predators, with the ability to discriminate according to colour and shape; therefore these factors play a role in feeding choices. Classification methodologies of ingested plastic currently do not record these variables, however here, refined protocols allow us to test the hypothesis that plastic is selectively ingested when it resembles the food items of green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Turtles in the eastern Mediterranean displayed strong diet-related selectivity towards certain types (sheet and threadlike), colours (black, clear and green) and shapes (linear items strongly preferred) of plastic when compared to the environmental baseline of plastic beach debris. There was a significant negative relationship between size of turtle (curved carapace length) and number/mass of plastic pieces ingested, which may be explained through naivety and/or ontogenetic shifts in diet. Further investigation in other species and sites are needed to more fully ascertain the role of selectivity in plastic ingestion in this marine vertebrate group.

SUBMITTER: Duncan EM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6688982 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Diet-related selectivity of macroplastic ingestion in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the eastern Mediterranean.

Duncan Emily M EM Arrowsmith Jessica A JA Bain Charlotte E CE Bowdery Hannah H Broderick Annette C AC Chalmers Tierney T Fuller Wayne J WJ Galloway Tamara S TS Lee Jonathon H JH Lindeque Penelope K PK Omeyer Lucy C M LCM Snape Robin T E RTE Godley Brendan J BJ

Scientific reports 20190809 1

Understanding the drivers of key interactions between marine vertebrates and plastic pollution is now considered a research priority. Sea turtles are primarily visual predators, with the ability to discriminate according to colour and shape; therefore these factors play a role in feeding choices. Classification methodologies of ingested plastic currently do not record these variables, however here, refined protocols allow us to test the hypothesis that plastic is selectively ingested when it res ...[more]

PMID: 31399637

Similar Datasets

Project description:Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a disease characterized by epithelial tumors that can impede life-sustaining activities of sea turtles, especially green turtles (Chelonia mydas). FP is caused by a herpesvirus, but environmental factors are also thought to play a role in triggering FP tumor growth. In this study, we evaluate the epidemiology of FP tumors in green turtles along the coast of Espírito Santo, Brazil, a region where juvenile green turtles are known to aggregate with high FP prevalence. A dataset comprising 2024 beach-cast green turtles recorded through daily beach surveys on 400 km of coastline from 2018 to 2021 (inclusive) was evaluated. FP tumors were recorded in 40.9% of the individuals in this dataset, and presence of FP tumors was predicted by individual variables (presence of marine leeches, stranding code, curved carapace length, body mass-size residual) and characteristics of the stranding site (distance to nearest metallurgical plant, mean sea surface salinity (SSS), annual range of sea surface temperature (SST)). Additionally, a second dataset comprising detailed information about the size and anatomical distribution of tumors in 271 green turtles with FP from the same region was evaluated. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed these turtles could be classified in three groups according to the anatomical distribution of their tumors, and in turn the group to which each turtle was assigned could be predicted by the study period (2010-2014 vs. 2018-2022) and by characteristics of the stranding/capture site (green turtle stranding density, mean sea surface chlorophyll-a concentration, mean SSS, mean SST, annual range of SST). These results corroborate that individual and environmental factors play a significant role driving FP epidemiology. Furthermore, the results suggest that rather than behaving as a single entity, FP may be seen as a mosaic of distinct anatomical patterns that are not necessarily driven by the same environmental factors.

Dataset Information

Diet-related selectivity of macroplastic ingestion in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the eastern Mediterranean.

Publications

Diet-related selectivity of macroplastic ingestion in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the eastern Mediterranean.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets