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Microplastics in the Amur tiger's habitat: Occurrence, characteristics, and risk assessment
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Researchers characterized microplastics in the habitat of the Amur tiger in Russia's Far East, finding MPs in soil, water, and prey organisms, and assessing the potential risk this contamination poses to one of the world's most endangered large predators.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging environmental pollutants that pose a significant threat to wildlife within forest ecosystems. However, the quantity and types of MPs in wildlife forest habitats remain unclear. This study is the first to assess the distribution of MPs in the Amur tiger habitat of northeast China. Our results showed that MPs were detected in soil, water, atmosphere, forage plants, and ungulate and top predator feces within the forest ecosystem, respectively. The average diameter of all detected MPs was 44.99 ± 34.80μm. The predominant polymers found in the samples were polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane. Certain sample types shared similar MP polymer type distributions, indicating potential links in their sources and transfer pathways. Consequently, these findings provide some new insights on the new pollution problem in Amur tiger forest habitats and prompt us to consider how to control and manage the MPs pollution sources in the tiger conservation.
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Microplastics contamination in terrestrial wildlife: the study in carcasses and feces of vertebrate species in western Thailand
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Researchers examined microplastic accumulation in terrestrial wildlife carcasses and fecal samples from inside and outside protected areas in western Thailand. Microplastics were detected in multiple species regardless of protected status, suggesting wide environmental distribution.
First record of microplastics in the endangered marine otter (Lontra felina)
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Researchers documented the first evidence of microplastic ingestion in the endangered marine otter (Lontra felina) by detecting plastic particles in fecal samples collected along the Peruvian and Chilean coasts, indicating that microplastics have entered coastal food webs reaching this apex predator.
Microplastic contamination in threatened wild felids of India: Understanding environmental uptake, feeding implications, and associated risks
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Researchers analyzed fecal samples from fishing cats and jungle cats in the Gangetic Estuary of India—the first global report of MPs in jungle cat—finding 10.5 and 12.6 MP/g dry weight respectively, with fibers and ethylene vinyl alcohol or polyethylene as dominant types. Risk assessment placed fishing cat MPs in the danger category (Group IV), highlighting wild felids as MP-contaminated sentinels of terrestrial ecosystem pollution.
Micro- and Nanoplastic Pollution in Terrestrial Ecosystems
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Micro- and nanoplastics have spread ubiquitously across terrestrial ecosystems, persisting in soil and affecting plant health, soil organisms, and nutrient cycling. Their slow degradation and widespread distribution make them a long-term threat to ecosystem function and agricultural productivity.
Quantification and Characterization of Microplastics in Wildlife Feces: Case Study from Buffer zones of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu
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Researchers collected fecal samples from wild elephants, sambar deer, gaurs, and rabbits in buffer zones of the Western Ghats, India, finding 127 microplastic particles across 12 samples, demonstrating that wildlife in protected areas are ingesting microplastics from the surrounding environment.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.