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Tracking anthropogenic microparticles in wildlife of an alpine insular environment
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Wild rabbits and mouflons living in the protected high-altitude environment of Teide National Park (Canary Islands) were found to have ingested anthropogenic microparticles — including polypropylene and poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) microplastics — at 0.79 items per gram of dry feces. This is the first evidence that microplastics have entered the terrestrial food chain of large wildlife in a remote mountain ecosystem, likely delivered by atmospheric deposition and tourist activity.
Despite the isolation of remote natural regions, it has been discovered that they are experiencing the accumulation of anthropogenic microparticles (i.e., microplastics or natural or semisynthetic cellulosic particles). Teide National Park (Canary Islands, Spain) is a high-mountain protected area known for its rich biodiversity. This study aims to assess the occurrence of coloured anthropogenic particles in the faecal matter of wild mammals, specifically rabbits and mouflons, residing in the park. With this purpose, faeces were collected from 68 systematically distributed sampling points. A stereomicroscopy-guided grinding process allowed a chemical-free and quick visual inspection of 616 individual excreta, revealing that 96% were particle-free. However, 37 anthropogenic particles were found, which correspond to 0.79 ± 0.20 items per gram of dry faecal matter. The archetypical particle was a cellulosic blue microfibre of 2721 ± 407 µm, though poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) and polypropylene were also identified via micro Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. Atmospheric deposition and touristic pressure may be the sources of the anthropogenic particles, as they were randomly found in 36% of the sampling points. These findings represent the first evidence of anthropogenic particle ingestion by wild rabbits and mouflons, signifying the introduction of microplastics into terrestrial food chains in a remote high-mountain environment.
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Microplastics in snow of a high mountain national park: El Teide, Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)
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Researchers collected 63 snow samples from El Teide National Park in Tenerife, a high-altitude site over 2,000 meters above sea level, and found microplastics present in the snow. The study compared samples from accessible tourist areas with remote locations, helping to distinguish between local human activity and long-distance atmospheric transport as sources of contamination. The findings demonstrate that microplastics can reach even remote mountain environments through the atmosphere.
Microplastics in snow of a high mountain national park: El teide, tenerife (canary islands, spain)
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This conference abstract describes a study measuring microplastic concentrations in snow collected from a high-altitude national park on Tenerife, Canary Islands, demonstrating that airborne microplastics can be deposited by snow even in remote mountain environments far from urban pollution sources. Snow deposition is an important mechanism for delivering atmospheric microplastics to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
Occurrence of anthropogenic microparticles in soils of teide national park
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Researchers found anthropogenic microparticles including microplastics in soils of Teide National Park in Tenerife, a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site far from industrial activity. The contamination indicates long-range atmospheric transport as the likely delivery mechanism to this remote high-altitude location.
Occurrence of anthropogenic microparticles in soils of teide national park
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Researchers detected anthropogenic microparticles including synthetic fibers and plastic fragments in soils of Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tenerife that receives nearly 4 million visitors annually despite protective legislation. The presence of plastic particles in this strictly protected alpine site illustrates how visitor activity introduces microplastic contamination even in legally protected environments.
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This study quantified microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in birds from remote Himalayan forests, finding that even in this pristine environment, birds carry measurable plastic burdens in their tissues. The results confirm that plastic pollution is entering high-altitude Himalayan food webs, likely through atmospheric transport.
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