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Prey choice and ingestion of microplastics by Common Shelducks and Common Eiders in the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site
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This study examined the diets and microplastic uptake of common eiders and common shelducks in the Wadden Sea using microscopic analysis of stomach contents and fecal samples from carcasses and live birds. Common cockles were the dominant prey for both species, with eiders also consuming blue mussels and invasive razor clams at higher rates than historic records indicate. Plastic debris was found in 92.9% of eider stomachs and 95% of shelduck stomachs, with most plastics consisting of small colored filaments under 5 mm, indicating regular and widespread microplastic ingestion.
Abstract Top predators such as coastal birds are essential components of marine food webs, and understanding their trophic interactions forms an essential basis of food web models. However, at the same time, the proportion of plastic debris in marine food webs has constantly increased while the degree of plastic ingestion by marine birds is still poorly known. In this study, the diets and microplastic uptakes in two numerous benthivorous bird species in the Wadden Sea were examined microscopically, i.e. the common eider ( Sommateria mollissima ) indicative for the subtidal and the common shelduck ( Tadorna tadorna ) indicative for the intertidal area. Eiders (n = 42 carcasses; n = 120 faecal samples) mainly ingested common cockles ( Cerastoderma edule ). Blue mussels ( Mytilus edulis ) ranged second and – same as the invasive razor clam ( Ensis leei ) – occurred more frequently than reflected by historic data. Proportions of gastropods, bristle worms and crustaceans were low. Shelducks (n = 20 carcasses; n = 98 faecal samples) fed mainly on small molluscs, especially C. edule and mud snails Peringia ulvae , along with other bivalves, bristle worms and small crustaceans such as amphipods and a few fish and insects. Plastic debris was found in 92.9% of stomachs and 74.2% of faeces from eiders as well as in 95% of the stomachs and 85.7% of the faeces from shelducks. Most plastic consisted of brightly coloured filaments ˂5 mm. These findings indicate regular uptake and excretion of plastic debris by coastal benthivorous seabirds, both in the subtidal and intertidal realm. The origin and mode of uptake of microplastics are discussed.
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Prey choice and ingestion of microplastics by common shelducks and common eiders in the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found microplastic contamination in over 92% of stomach samples and 74–86% of fecal samples from common eiders and common shelducks in the Wadden Sea, with plastic filaments under 5mm dominating, suggesting widespread and near-universal ingestion by these coastal seabirds.
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Researchers conducted the first assessment of plastic contamination in two species of mollusk-eating seaducks wintering along Japan's Pacific coast and found microplastics in all ten birds examined. The vast majority of particles were tiny fragments under 200 micrometers, a size class previously overlooked in seaduck studies, suggesting these birds ingest microplastics primarily through their contaminated prey.
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Researchers examined microplastic in the gastrointestinal tracts of 143 Northern Fulmars and 25 Sooty Shearwaters stranded on Oregon and Washington beaches, finding plastic in 89.5% and 64% of birds respectively, with larger particles concentrated in the stomach's upper chamber and no significant reduction in plastic load in birds held in a plastic-free rehabilitation environment for up to seven days.
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Researchers collected 1,585 invertebrates, 310 fish, and 12 sediment cores from 10 sites along the German Wadden Sea coast to assess microplastic contamination using Nile red fluorescence microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Microplastics were found in all species and sites, with contamination rates of 79-94% across species and sediment concentrations up to 8,128 particles/kg, identifying Mytilus edulis and Platichthys flesus as the most suitable monitoring species.
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