Plastic consumption affects the health of birds and their ability to survive in the future

A new study looked at ingested plastic and 11 useful metals in two species of seabirds.In

As a result, there was a correlation with the concentrations of aluminum, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper and zinc in the liver of thin-billed prions.

Lead Author Dr. Lauren Roman of CSIRO andThe UTAS Institute for Marine and Antarctic Research said the impact was minor. However, she noted that seabirds already have “enough problems” on the high seas. For example, a lack of production and severe storms. In turn, plastic can exacerbate the effects of other stressors on individuals. It's about fishing and climate change.

“Our study is the first to showthere is a relationship in seabirds between plastic pollution, which is becoming more common in our oceans, and the concentration of mineral nutrients in the liver, ”explains Dr. Roman.

Scientists have linked the presence of several piecesintestinal plastic with potential consequences for the diet of small seabirds and other marine animals. Previously, similar nutritional relationships have already been observed in plastic-eating sea turtles. While more research is needed to better understand the link between gut plastic and seabird nutrition, this is a disturbing discovery for millions of seabirds. An individual with a lot of plastic in its stomach may be worse off and therefore less likely to survive the increased frequency of hurricanes or food chain disruptions that are inevitable in changing climates.

Study co-author Dr. Farzana Kasturi fromThe University of South Australia noted that although some minerals are essential to the poultry diet as essential, some metals can be toxic depending on their type and concentration.

“Potentially toxic elements such aslead and arsenic can adsorb and concentrate on plastic surfaces in marine environments, ”she explains. "Depending on the nutritional status of the seabirds that consume marine plastic, some of these potentially toxic elements can be absorbed, adversely affecting bird health."

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