scholarly journals Plastic pollution is killing marine megafauna, but how do we prioritize policies to reduce mortality?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Roman ◽  
Qamar Schuyler ◽  
Chris Wilcox ◽  
Britta Denise Hardesty
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Marine Megafauna

scholarly journals Quantifying ingested debris in marine megafauna: a review and recommendations for standardization

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1454-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer F. Provencher ◽  
Alexander L. Bond ◽  
Stephanie Avery-Gomm ◽  
Stephanie B. Borrelle ◽  
Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Needs ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Critical Research ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Standardized Reporting ◽  
Marine Megafauna

Plastic pollution has become one of the largest environmental challenges we currently face, but standardized reporting is required to meet critical research needs.

scholarly journals Understanding individual and population-level effects of plastic pollution on marine megafauna

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 234-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
JF Senko ◽  
SE Nelms ◽  
JL Reavis ◽  
B Witherington ◽  
BJ Godley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Reproductive Impairment ◽  
Potential Population ◽  
Marine Megafauna ◽  
Tract Damage ◽  
Reduced Mobility

Plastic pollution is increasing rapidly throughout the world’s oceans and is considered a major threat to marine wildlife and ecosystems. Although known to cause lethal or sub-lethal effects to vulnerable marine megafauna, population-level impacts of plastic pollution have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we compiled and evaluated information from peer-reviewed studies that reported deleterious individual-level effects of plastic pollution on air-breathing marine megafauna (i.e. seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles) worldwide, highlighting those that assessed potential population-level effects. Lethal and sub-lethal individual-level effects included drowning, starvation, gastrointestinal tract damage, malnutrition, physical injury, reduced mobility, and physiological stress, resulting in reduced energy acquisition and assimilation, compromised health, reproductive impairment, and mortality. We found 47 studies published between 1969 and 2020 that considered population-level effects of plastic entanglement (n = 26), ingestion (n = 19), or both (n = 2). Of these, 7 inferred population-level effects (n = 6, entanglement; n = 1, ingestion), whereas 19 lacked evidence for effects (n = 12, entanglement; n = 6, ingestion; n = 1, both). However, no study in the past 50 yr reported direct evidence of population-level effects. Despite increased interest in and awareness of the presence of plastic pollution throughout the world’s oceans, the extent and magnitude of demographic impacts on marine megafauna remains largely unassessed and therefore unknown, in contrast to well-documented effects on individuals. Addressing this major assessment gap will allow researchers and managers to compare relative effects of multiple threats—including plastic pollution—on marine megafauna populations, thus providing appropriate context for strategic conservation priority-setting.

scholarly journals Presence and the global implications of plastics in wild commercial fish in the Alboran Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Lopez-Martinez ◽  
Rafael Gavara ◽  
Rebecca Handcock ◽  
Marga L Rivas
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Alboran Sea ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
Emerging Risk ◽  
Local Measurements ◽  
Study Support ◽  
Marine Megafauna ◽  
Alborán Sea

The presence of plastic in the environment has become a major problem for marine megafauna. The identification of the global micro and mesoplastic uptake by commercial fish populations may allow for a better understanding of their impact. This study aims to: (i) determine the presence and composition of plastic in two pelagic fish (Engraulis encrasicolus and Scomber scombrus) and two demersal species (Scyliorinus canicula and Mullus barbatus) from the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean) to quantify the relationship between plastic prevalence and habitat and feeding behavior in the selected fish species, (ii) compare local measurements made of the presence of plastics ingested by these four fish species with published values from a across their range literature review, and (iii) identify the methodologies used in similar studies of plastic pollution in fish. Across their range, the highest occurrence of plastics was found in E. encrasicolus, which contrasts to that found in S. scombrus at the Alboran sea. Material analysis of the collected data showed the most predominant fiber color was black and the predominant plastic polymer was polyethylene. The increasing emerging risk of plastics and the levels of macro- and micro-plastic ingested by seafood in this study support the suggest that quantifying plastic presence and composition may be essential as a food safety measure.

scholarly journals Poly(lactic Acid): A Versatile Biobased Polymer for the Future with Multifunctional Properties—From Monomer Synthesis, Polymerization Techniques and Molecular Weight Increase to PLA Applications

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1822
Author(s):  
Evangelia Balla ◽  
Vasileios Daniilidis ◽  
Georgia Karlioti ◽  
Theocharis Kalamas ◽  
Myrika Stefanidou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Chain Extension ◽  
Poly Lactic Acid ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Decomposition Reactions ◽  
Melt Polycondensation ◽  
Polymerization Conditions ◽  
Molecular Weight Increase

Environmental problems, such as global warming and plastic pollution have forced researchers to investigate alternatives for conventional plastics. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), one of the well-known eco-friendly biodegradables and biobased polyesters, has been studied extensively and is considered to be a promising substitute to petroleum-based polymers. This review gives an inclusive overview of the current research of lactic acid and lactide dimer techniques along with the production of PLA from its monomers. Melt polycondensation as well as ring opening polymerization techniques are discussed, and the effect of various catalysts and polymerization conditions is thoroughly presented. Reaction mechanisms are also reviewed. However, due to the competitive decomposition reactions, in the most cases low or medium molecular weight (MW) of PLA, not exceeding 20,000–50,000 g/mol, are prepared. For this reason, additional procedures such as solid state polycondensation (SSP) and chain extension (CE) reaching MW ranging from 80,000 up to 250,000 g/mol are extensively investigated here. Lastly, numerous practical applications of PLA in various fields of industry, technical challenges and limitations of PLA use as well as its future perspectives are also reported in this review.

scholarly journals North Pacific warming shifts the juvenile range of a marine apex predator

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kisei R. Tanaka ◽  
Kyle S. Van Houtan ◽  
Eric Mailander ◽  
Beatriz S. Dias ◽  
Carol Galginaitis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Total Body Length ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Spatial Shift ◽  
Marine Megafauna ◽  
Community Science ◽  
Juvenile Sharks

AbstractDuring the 2014–2016 North Pacific marine heatwave, unprecedented sightings of juvenile white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) emerged in central California. These records contradicted the species established life history, where juveniles remain in warmer waters in the southern California Current. This spatial shift is significant as it creates potential conflicts with commercial fisheries, protected species conservation, and public safety concerns. Here, we integrate community science, photogrammetry, biologging, and mesoscale climate data to describe and explain this phenomenon. We find a dramatic increase in white sharks from 2014 to 2019 in Monterey Bay that was overwhelmingly comprised of juvenile sharks < 2.5 m in total body length. Next, we derived thermal preferences from 22 million tag measurements of 14 juvenile sharks and use this to map the cold limit of their range. Consistent with historical records, the position of this cold edge averaged 34° N from 1982 to 2013 but jumped to 38.5° during the 2014–2016 marine heat wave. In addition to a poleward shift, thermally suitable habitat for juvenile sharks declined 223.2 km2 year−1 from 1982 to 2019 and was lowest in 2015 at the peak of the heatwave. In addition to advancing the adaptive management of this apex marine predator, we discuss this opportunity to engage public on climate change through marine megafauna.

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