No evidence of microplastics in Antarctic fur seal scats from a hotspot of human activity in Western Antarctica

Garcia-Garin, Odei; García-Cuevas, Iván; Drago, Massimiliano; Rita, Diego; Parga, Mariluz; Gazo, Manel; Cardona, Luís

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140210

Cited by 42 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In mid-winter and late-winter, suitable habitat displaced northward, from the South Georgia Islands to Adelaide Island. Overall, the habitat suitable for juvenile and sub-adult male Antarctic fur seals matched the known distribution of Antarctic krill 4 , 5 , 67 , which is their main prey in that sector of the Southern Ocean 33 – 40 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ) is the staple food of Antarctic fur seals in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean and the western Antarctic Peninsula 33 – 40 and there is an urgent need to better understand the interactions between krill, their predators and the krill fisheries 3 . As already reported, most of the research on the spatial ecology of Antarctic fur seals has focused on females and the environmental monitoring program of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) focuses exclusively on females and their pups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Winter distribution of juvenile and sub-adult male Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) along the western Antarctic Peninsula

March

Drago

Gazo

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Detailed knowledge of habitat use by marine megafauna is critical to understand their ecological roles and for the adequate management of marine resources. Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) inhabiting the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean prey largely on Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and play a central role in managing the krill fishery. Here, we assessed the demographic structure of three post-mating, early moult male haul-outs in the South Shetland Islands in early March and calculated the relative contribution of juveniles (1–4 years old) and sub-adult males (5–6 years) to the population remaining in maritime Antarctica after the breeding season. We also satellite tagged 11 juvenile males and four sub-adult males to analyze their movements and develop a species distribution model including both age classes. Our results highlighted the dominance of young individuals in the male population, revealed that they do not behave as central place foragers and identified key environmental drivers that affected their distribution at-sea throughout winter. Predicted potential foraging habitat overlapped highly with the known distribution of Antarctic krill, and identified the waters off the western Antarctic Peninsula and the Scotia Sea as the core of the distribution area of juvenile and sub-adult male Antarctic fur seals in winter. This pattern is similar to that of adult males but totally different from that of adult females, as the latter overwinter in areas at latitude 45–55° S. This segregation has implications for the ecology and management of the krill fishery.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Winter distribution of juvenile and sub-adult male Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) along the western Antarctic Peninsula

March

Drago

Gazo

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This also agrees with current knowledge about the diet of A. gazella in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, where octopuses and squids are regularly consumed, although in low numbers 44 – 46 . It is worth noting than not cephalopod beak was recovered from the scats analyzed here 48 . Among all invertebrate viruses identified, some sequences present low identities with genomes from available databases, probably because Antarctica wildlife has been scarcely explored, forcing bioinformatic analysis to match them with the most similar viruses from these databases.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The high prevalence of virus sequences from crustaceans in the feces analyzed is hardly surprising because A. gazella inhabiting the Antarctic peninsula and the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean feed mostly on Antarctic krill Euphasia superba during the summer months 42 – 48 . Sequences from cephalopod viruses were also detected, although were much scarcer than those from crustaceans.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Viral metagenomics reveals persistent as well as dietary acquired viruses in Antarctic fur seals

Martínez-Puchol

Cardona

Drago

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Viruses linked to animals inhabiting Antarctic latitudes remain poorly studied. Remote environments hosting large pinniped populations may be prone to exposure of immunologically naïve animals to new infectious agents due to increasing human presence or introduction of new animal species. Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) inhabiting the Western Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands are challenged because of climate change and increased anthropogenic activity. In the present study, the fecal and serum virome of A. gazella was characterized by applying target enrichment next generation sequencing. The resulting viromes were dominated by CRESS-DNA sequences. Viruses known to infect vertebrate and invertebrate hosts were also observed in fecal samples. Fur seal picornavirus was present in all the fecal pools studied suggesting it is a prevalent virus in these species. Six different viruses presenting similarities with previously described A. gazella viruses or other otariids and mammal viruses were identified as potential new A. gazella viruses. Also, diet-derived viruses such as crustacean viruses were present in fecal content. Penguin viruses, but not fish viruses, were also detected. Obtained results contribute to a better understanding of the viral community present in these species, which is relevant for its conservation.

show abstract

“…Ryan et al [108] found small plastic fragments (mainly 2-5 mm in size) in scats of fur seals breeding on Macquarie Island; however, they did not detect MPs in samples of seal scat from other sub-Antarctic islands. South of the Antarctic Polar Front, contamination levels must be very low, as no MPs have recently been found in 42 male fur seals scats from Deception Island [109].…”

Section: Microplastics In Marine Organisms and Food Websmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macro- and Microplastics in the Antarctic Environment: Ongoing Assessment and Perspectives

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The number of scientists and tourists visiting Antarctica is on the rise and, despite the management framework for environmental protection, some coastal areas, particularly in the Antarctic Peninsula region, are affected by plastic contamination. The few data available on the occurrence of microplastics (<5 mm) are difficult to compare, due to the different methodologies used in monitoring studies. However, indications are emerging to guide future research and to implement environmental protocols. In the surface and subsurface waters of the Southern Ocean, plastic debris >300 µm appears to be scarce and far less abundant than paint chips released from research vessels. Yet, near some coastal scientific stations, the fragmentation and degradation of larger plastic items, as well as microbeads and microfibers released into wastewater from personal care products and laundry, could potentially affect marine organisms. Some studies indicate that, through long-range atmospheric transport, plastic fibers produced on other continents can be deposited in Antarctica. Drifting plastic debris can also cross the Polar Front, with the potential to carry alien fouling organisms into the Southern Ocean. Sea ice dynamics appear to favor the uptake of microplastics by ice algae and Antarctic krill, the key species in the Antarctic marine food web. Euphausia superba apparently has the ability to fragment and expel ingested plastic particles at the nanoscale. However, most Antarctic organisms are endemic species, with unique ecophysiological adaptations to extreme environmental conditions and are likely highly sensitive to cumulative stresses caused by climate change, microplastics and other anthropogenic disturbances. Although there is limited evidence to date that micro- and nanoplastics have direct biological effects, our review aims at raising awareness of the problem and, in order to assess the real potential impact of microplastics in Antarctica, underlines the urgency to fill the methodological gaps for their detection in all environmental matrices, and to equip scientific stations and ships with adequate wastewater treatment plants to reduce the release of microfibers.

show abstract

No evidence of microplastics in Antarctic fur seal scats from a hotspot of human activity in Western Antarctica

Cited by 42 publications

References 51 publications

Winter distribution of juvenile and sub-adult male Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) along the western Antarctic Peninsula

Winter distribution of juvenile and sub-adult male Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) along the western Antarctic Peninsula

Viral metagenomics reveals persistent as well as dietary acquired viruses in Antarctic fur seals

Macro- and Microplastics in the Antarctic Environment: Ongoing Assessment and Perspectives

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About