Solomando Antònia, Pujol Francisca, Sureda Antoni, Pinya Samuel
Research Group in Community Nutrition and Oxidative Stress, University of Balearic Islands, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Interdisciplinary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of the Balearic Islands, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
Biology (Basel). 2022 Oct 6;11(10):1468. doi: 10.3390/biology11101468.
The global distribution and presence of plastic, at all levels of the water column, has made plastic debris one of today's greatest environmental challenges. The ingestion and entanglement of plastic-containing marine debris has been documented in more than 60% of all cetacean species. In light of the increasing pressure on cetaceans, and the diversity of factors that they face, the aim of this work is to provide evidence of the impact of plastic debris on stranded cetaceans, in terms of ingestion and entanglement, in the Balearic Islands for the first-time. Detailed examinations, necropsies, and plastic debris analysis were performed on 30 of the 108 cetaceans stranded between 2019 and 2022. Specimens belonging to five different species, , , , , and , were evaluated. Ten percent of the cetaceans (N = 3) presented plastic debris in their stomach, with one case of obstruction and perforation. Fishery gear fragments (ropes and nets) were found in two adults of , whereas packaging debris (plastic bag, packing straps, and plastic sheets) were found in a juvenile . Plastic items analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) reported three polymer types: polypropylene, polyamide, and high-density polypropylene. A total of seven cases of entanglement were recorded during the study, affecting four different species (, , , and ). Only two individuals were freed from the nets, although one died after a week, whereas the rest were already found dead. In conclusion, data collected in the present study provided evidence of plastic ingestion and entanglement in cetaceans of the Balearic Islands for the first-time, thus highlighting the need for the regular examination of stranded cetaceans (as they are top predators) in future research to better understand the effects of these pollutants.
塑料在水柱的各个层面都有全球分布和存在，这使得塑料碎片成为当今最大的环境挑战之一。在所有鲸类物种中，超过60%的物种都有摄入和被含塑料海洋垃圾缠住的记录。鉴于鲸类面临的压力不断增加以及它们所面临的因素的多样性，这项工作的目的是首次提供塑料碎片对巴利阿里群岛搁浅鲸类在摄入和缠绕方面影响的证据。对2019年至2022年间搁浅的108头鲸类中的30头进行了详细检查、尸检和塑料碎片分析。对属于五个不同物种的样本进行了评估。10%的鲸类（N = 3）胃中有塑料碎片，其中一例出现梗阻和穿孔。在两头成年的[物种名称1]中发现了渔业渔具碎片（绳索和网），而在一头幼年的[物种名称2]中发现了包装碎片（塑料袋、包装带和塑料片）。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT - IR）分析的塑料物品报告了三种聚合物类型：聚丙烯、聚酰胺和高密度聚丙烯。在研究期间共记录到七起缠绕事件，涉及四个不同物种（[物种名称3]、[物种名称4]、[物种名称5]和[物种名称6]）。只有两头个体从网中解脱出来，尽管其中一头在一周后死亡，而其余的被发现时已经死亡。总之，本研究收集的数据首次提供了巴利阿里群岛鲸类摄入和缠绕塑料的证据，从而突出了在未来研究中对搁浅鲸类（因为它们是顶级捕食者）进行定期检查以更好地了解这些污染物影响的必要性。
