Qiu Han-Xun, Xu Chuan-Biao, Huang Xin, Wei Xiang-Yin, Pang Zi-Lin, Du Lan-Fang, Jiang Li, Zhang Ji-Liang
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan, 571158, China.
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan, 571158, China; Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Civilization and Integrated Land-Sea Development, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, Hainan, 571158, China.
Environ Res. 2025 Jul 23;285(Pt 2):122376. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.122376.
Microplastic (MP) pollution in rice fields has become a major environmental threat. Birds often serve as indicators of environmental pollution, and feathers are the most commonly used indicator because they can be sampled non-invasively. However, studies examining the ingestion of plastic by waterbirds in tropical rice fields are lacking. Therefore, to explore the potential threat of MP pollution on waterbirds inhabiting rice fields and evaluate the potential role of bird feathers in assessing MP pollution, we investigated MP accumulation in sediment, water, feather, and feces samples collected from different nesting sites (Wuji Village and Chongwei Village) of little egrets (Egretta garzetta) on Hainan Island, China, and evaluated possible correlations among feathers, feces, and environment. MPs were significantly more abundant in sediment, feather, and feces samples from Wuji Village than in those from Chongwei Village, suggesting the importance of habitat contamination as an exposure source for MP ingestion. MPs were more abundant on feathers than in feces based on the number of MP pieces per gram of sample. The identified MPs were predominantly small and fragment-shaped. Polyethylene and polypropylene were the most abundant polymer types, indicating that anthropogenic activities were the likely source of MPs. Correlation analysis revealed highly significant correlations between feathers and habitats in terms of MP characteristics. The results indicate that waterbirds in rice fields are seriously exposed to MP contamination and highlight the potential role of feathers as biomonitors and vectors of MPs in natural environments.
稻田中的微塑料（MP）污染已成为一项重大的环境威胁。鸟类常作为环境污染的指示生物，羽毛是最常用的指示物，因为可以通过非侵入性方式进行采样。然而，关于热带稻田水鸟摄入塑料的研究尚属空白。因此，为探究MP污染对栖息于稻田的水鸟的潜在威胁，并评估鸟类羽毛在评估MP污染中的潜在作用，我们调查了从中国海南岛小白鹭（Egretta garzetta）不同筑巢地点（吴吉村和崇威村）采集的沉积物、水、羽毛和粪便样本中的MP积累情况，并评估了羽毛、粪便与环境之间可能存在的相关性。吴吉村沉积物、羽毛和粪便样本中的MP含量显著高于崇威村，这表明栖息地污染作为MP摄入暴露源的重要性。基于每克样本中MP碎片数量，羽毛上的MP比粪便中更多。所识别出的MP主要为小碎片状。聚乙烯和聚丙烯是最主要的聚合物类型，表明人为活动可能是MP的来源。相关性分析显示，在MP特征方面，羽毛与栖息地之间存在高度显著的相关性。结果表明，稻田中的水鸟严重暴露于MP污染中，并突出了羽毛作为自然环境中MP生物监测器和载体的潜在作用。
