Summary
Peru has the second-highest diversity of birds in the world, but little is known about the interactions between birds and plastic waste. To fill this knowledge gap, we searched the scientific literature, collected information from social networks such as Facebook and databases such as Macaulay Library and iNaturalist and solicited records through messaging with researchers and bird enthusiasts. We found 119 bird interactions with plastic debris involving 39 species from 20 families, with the red-legged cormorant Phalacrocorax gaimardi and the neotropical cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus being the most affected species. By type of interaction category, plastic waste in nests was the most abundant, followed by entanglement, capture and handling and ingestion. Ropes, nets and soft plastics such as bags were the most frequently reported types of waste. As our methodology has limitations, it is probable that other species that also interact with plastic waste have not been reported, so we recommend further study.
Prionace glauca es un depredador tope, propenso a bioacumular metales pesados y representa la especie de elasmobranquio más capturada para consumo humano en Perú. Se determinaron las concentraciones de cadmio y plomo en el tejido muscular comestible del tiburón azul capturado en las aguas costeras del sur de Perú y alta mar del centro-norte de Chile. Los niveles de Cd y Pb variaron entre 0,004 - 0,014 mg kg-1 y 0,004 - 0,03 mg kg-1, respectivamente. Encontramos una correlación directa de la concentración de Cd con la longitud total; sin embargo, no hubo una relación clara con respecto al sexo, las estaciones del año y las áreas de captura. Ambos metales estaban por debajo de los límites de seguridad para el consumo humano. Los valores de Cociente de Peligro Objetivo (THQ, por sus siglas en inglés) sugieren que su consumo no representa un riesgo para la salud humana. Recomendamos incrementar el muestreo incluyendo tiburones de mayor tamaño y en otras regiones de la costa peruana.
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