Athira T R, Aarif K M, Rubeena K A, Musilova Zuzana, Musil Petr, Angarita-Báez Jenny A, Naikoo Mohd Irfan, Jobiraj T, Thejass P, Sonne Christian, Muzaffar Sabir Bin
Department of Zoology, Govt. College, Madappally, Affiliated to University of Calicut, Kozhikode 670645, Kerala, India.
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Kamýck´a 129, Praha Suchdol, Prague CZ-165 21, Czechia.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2025 Mar;212:117571. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117571. Epub 2025 Jan 27.
Microplastic pollution poses a significant threat to coastal ecosystems worldwide. Despite its widespread occurrence, knowledge on the prevalence and fate of microplastics across food webs is limited. To bridge this gap, we conducted an extensive study on microplastic contamination in mudflats, mangroves, and sand beaches being key habitats for wintering shorebirds on the west coast of India. Using a comprehensive multi-matrix approach covering water, sediment, biofilm, plankton, benthic macroinvertebrates, and migratory shorebird droppings, we analysed microplastic contamination across ten coastal sites from 2020 to 2022. Our findings show spatial and temporal variations in microplastics widespread in water and sediments, influenced by human activities. Notably, an increase in microplastics within prey and shorebird droppings coincide with a decline in prey abundance and shorebird populations. The prevalence of fibre-shaped microplastics indicates that common sources include discarded fishing gear and domestic sewage. The types of microplastics ingested by shorebirds varied depending on their feeding strategies, with biofilms serving as significant reservoirs of microplastics, facilitating their transfer to shorebirds. Epibenthic feeders, with a more limited foraging range, displayed the lowest levels of microplastics, while species foraging through multiple sediment layers exhibited higher concentrations. These findings underscore the urgent need for stricter conservation measures to tackle plastic pollution at its source. The study raises concerns about the potential harmful effects of microplastic contamination on the population of migratory shorebirds along the west coast of India. Continued research is crucial to understand the ecological impacts of microplastics on wintering shorebirds and to develop effective conservation strategies.
微塑料污染对全球沿海生态系统构成了重大威胁。尽管其广泛存在，但关于微塑料在整个食物网中的流行程度和归宿的知识却很有限。为了弥补这一差距，我们对印度西海岸作为越冬滨鸟关键栖息地的泥滩、红树林和沙滩中的微塑料污染进行了广泛研究。我们采用了一种全面的多基质方法，涵盖水、沉积物、生物膜、浮游生物、底栖大型无脊椎动物和候鸟粪便，分析了2020年至2022年期间十个沿海地点的微塑料污染情况。我们的研究结果表明，受人类活动影响，微塑料在水和沉积物中广泛存在，呈现出时空变化。值得注意的是，猎物和滨鸟粪便中的微塑料增加与猎物数量和滨鸟种群数量的下降相吻合。纤维状微塑料的普遍存在表明常见来源包括废弃渔具和生活污水。滨鸟摄入的微塑料类型因其觅食策略而异，生物膜是微塑料的重要储存库，有助于微塑料向滨鸟转移。底栖摄食者的觅食范围较窄，其微塑料含量最低，而在多个沉积层觅食的物种则表现出更高的浓度。这些发现强调了迫切需要采取更严格的保护措施从源头上解决塑料污染问题。该研究引发了人们对微塑料污染对印度西海岸候鸟种群潜在有害影响的担忧。持续的研究对于了解微塑料对越冬滨鸟的生态影响以及制定有效的保护策略至关重要。
