A critical review of harm associated with plastic ingestion on vertebrates

Puskic, Peter S.; Lavers, Jennifer L.; Bond, Alexander L.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140666

Cited by 47 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 112 publications

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“…), a behavior that could result in the ingestion of the packaging and wrapping material. Ingestion of plastic has been reported for several species, but physiological impacts of plastic ingestion, especially for mammals (Plaza and Lambertucci 2017 ; Puskic et al 2020 ) are not well studied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gray squirrels consume anthropogenic food waste most often during winter

et al. 2022

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Urban habitats provide wildlife with predictable, easily accessible and abundant food sources in the form of human food waste. Urban eastern gray squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis ) are commonly observed feeding in trash bins, but we lack data regarding the type, quantity and seasonal changes in food waste usage. We observed five trash bins on an urban university campus during four different observation periods. We recorded the time squirrels spent on and inside trash bins and type of retrieved food items. We also recorded ambient temperature, human presence and trash bin filling. Moreover, we determined changes in squirrel population density in a natural and three anthropogenic habitats during the same periods. Trash bins were fuller when human presence was higher. The higher human presence, the more squirrels went on and inside the bin, but there was no effect on number of retrieved food items. Trash bin usage by squirrels decreased when ambient temperature and bin filling increased. Most food items were retrieved during the coldest observation period, a period of high human presence, and the majority of retrieved food items were starchy foods (e.g., bread, French fries). The relationship between the number of squirrels observed along transects and a measure of urbanization, the normalized difference built-up index, was negative in periods with high ambient temperatures and positive in periods with low ambient temperatures, indicating winter may be less challenging in urban areas, likely facilitated by the availability of anthropogenic food sources, allowing a higher level of activity throughout winter. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42991-022-00326-3.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gray squirrels consume anthropogenic food waste most often during winter

et al. 2022

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“… 10 Yet, birds are understudied in comparison to fishes and invertebrates. 11 − 13 Ingestion of plastic items causes physical harm in birds, including digestive blockages and internal wounds which can affect feeding and energy storage. 14 − 16 Most studies have focused on the ingestion of plastic >1 mm in size, 17 − 21 likely because of the ease of their identification and long-term accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is especially true for birds which are one of the taxa most affected by macroplastic and MP ingestion . Yet, birds are understudied in comparison to fishes and invertebrates. − Ingestion of plastic items causes physical harm in birds, including digestive blockages and internal wounds which can affect feeding and energy storage. − Most studies have focused on the ingestion of plastic >1 mm in size, − likely because of the ease of their identification and long-term accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract . Moreover, data on MP ingestion in birds mostly come from observational studies that use opportunistic samples from postmortem analysis , as well as analysis of feces and regurgitated pellets. , There have been some invasive studies that utilize capture and euthanasia of wild birds, yet, this method cannot be largely applied because of ethical reasons and the great number of bird species globally threatened…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic Ingestion Induces Size-Specific Effects in Japanese Quail

Monclús

Smith

Ciesielski

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Plastic pollution can pose a threat to birds. Yet, little is known about the sublethal effects of ingested microplastics (MP), and the effects of MP < 1 mm in birds remain unknown. This study therefore aimed at evaluating the toxicity of environmentally relevant polypropylene and polyethylene particles collected in the Norwegian coast in growing Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Birds were orally exposed to 600 mg MP over 5 weeks, covering small (<125 μm) and large (3 mm) MP, both separately and in a mixture. We evaluated multiple sublethal endpoints in quail, including oxidative stress, cytokine levels, blood-biochemical parameters, and reproductive hormones in blood, as well as body mass. Exposure to small MP significantly induced the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase. Exposure to large MP increased the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (liver parameter) and decreased 17β-estradiol levels in females. Body mass was not directly affected by MP ingestion; however, quail exposed to small MP and a mixture of large and small MP had a different growth rate compared to control quail. Our study used similar levels of MP as ingested by wild birds and demonstrated size-dependent effects of MP that can result in sublethal effects in avifauna.

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“…Beyond foraging energetics, ingested plastics may have other sub-lethal effects. Much of our understanding of the cellular and tissue level impact of plastics on vertebrates has come from controlled trials on laboratory and aquacultured fish species (Puskic et al, 2020). Histological examinations from these lab-based studies have linked plastic ingestion to liver stress, inflammation and mechanical tissue damage (Espinosa et al, 2019;Peda et al, 2016;Rochman et al, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, when passed through the animal's digestive system, plastics may contrarily, aid in removing pollutants from an animal (Burns and Boxall, 2018;Mohamed Nor and Koelmans, 2019). Nonetheless, whether such impacts or effects are observed in species under wild conditions requires further research, particularly given that lab trials often use plastic doses which are not environmentally relevant (de Sá et al, 2018;Puskic et al, 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%