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Microplastic Characteristics in Equus kiang (Tibetan Wild Ass) Feces and Soil on the Southern Tibetan Plateau, China
Summary
Researchers found microplastics in the feces of Tibetan wild asses and in soil on the remote Tibetan Plateau, one of the most isolated regions on Earth. The animals had about 25 times more microplastic particles in their feces than found in surrounding soil, mostly tiny fibers. This study demonstrates that microplastic contamination has reached even the most remote wildlife populations far from industrial activity.
Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants, and limited research has focused on their exposure to terrestrial wildlife and transport mode on the remote Tibetan Plateau (TP). Therefore, we investigated MPs in the southern soil and feces of Equus kiang (Tibetan wild ass), a species peculiar to the TP, which is known as the "third pole." We found that MP median abundances were 102 and 4.01 particles/g of dry feces and soil, respectively. In both media, the MP morphology mainly comprised ∼50 μm slender fibrous particles. In total, 29 MP types were identified in the feces, compared to 26 types in the soil. Among them, the acrylate copolymer (35.9%) and polyurethane (24.9%) were predominant in the feces, while polyurethane (22.5%) and silicone (20.4%) were predominant in the soil. After ingesting MPs at one location, E. kiang may become a source of MP pollution when moving to other meadows on the TP. The potential MP transport flux of a herd of 20 kiangs has been estimated at 1736 particles m-2 a-1. A unique "source-sink-source" MP transport model comprising an "atmospheric deposition-vegetation-feces-atmosphere" cycle on the TP was observed based on atmospheric transport simulations and terrestrial food chain transfer processes. Owing to human settlements in south and East Asia adjacent to the TP, atmospheric long-distance transmission is an essential route for MPs to enter the TP.
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