International Christian University, 3-10-2 Osawa, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8585, Japan.
Everlasting Nature of Asia (ELNA), 3-17-8 Nishi-kanagawa, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 221-0822, Japan.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Sep;206:116673. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116673. Epub 2024 Jul 17.
We investigated the contents inside the esophagus and stomach of turtles inside and outside of the Tokyo Bay area, which face high and low risks of microplastic (MP) exposure, respectively. 65 synthetic particles were recovered from 8 out of 22 turtles, using ATR-FTIR followed by density separation with calcium chloride solution. Statistical analysis indicated that turtles in high-risk areas ingested significantly more MPs than those in low-risk areas. As the inflow of MPs from major rivers influences pollution levels in the ocean, the results of this study highlight the importance of major rivers for MP ingestion by turtles. Additionally, we discussed the current methodology's shortcomings and addressed scope for subsequent research, along with suggestions on future conservation.
我们调查了分别生活在面临高低微塑料（MP）暴露风险的东京湾地区内外的海龟的食道和胃部内容物。使用衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱法（ATR-FTIR）和氯化钙溶液密度分离法，从 22 只海龟中回收了 65 个合成颗粒。统计分析表明，高风险地区的海龟摄入的 MPs 明显多于低风险地区的海龟。由于主要河流的 MPs 流入会影响海洋的污染水平，因此本研究的结果强调了主要河流对海龟摄入 MPs 的重要性。此外，我们还讨论了当前方法的缺点，并探讨了后续研究的范围，以及对未来保护的建议。
