We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Food web transfer of plastics to an apex riverine predator.
AI summary Read the abstract
A field study of Eurasian dippers — apex freshwater birds — found plastics in their digestive systems, providing direct evidence that plastics transfer through river food webs from invertebrate prey to top predators. The study establishes that riverine food web transfer of plastics occurs in free-living wild animals, extending plastic contamination evidence from marine to freshwater systems.
As a rapidly accelerating expression of global change, plastics now occur extensively in freshwater ecosystems, yet there is barely any evidence of their transfer through food webs. Following previous observations that plastics occur widely in their prey, we used a field study of free-living Eurasian dippers (Cinclus cinclus), to test the hypotheses that (1) plastics are transferred from prey to predators in rivers, (2) plastics contained in prey are transferred by adults to altricial offspring during provisioning and (3) plastic concentrations in faecal and regurgitated pellets from dippers increase with urbanization. Plastic occurred in 50% of regurgitates (n = 74) and 45% of faecal samples (n = 92) collected non-invasively from adult and nestling dippers at 15 sites across South Wales (UK). Over 95% of particles were fibres, and concentrations in samples increased with urban land cover. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy identified multiple polymers, including polyester, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride and vinyl chloride copolymers. Although characterized by uncertainty, steady-state models using energetic data along with plastic concentration in prey and excreta suggest that around 200 plastic particles are ingested daily by dippers, but also excreted at rates that suggest transitory throughput. As some of the first evidence revealing that plastic is now being transferred through freshwater food webs, and between adult passerines and their offspring, these data emphasize the need to appraise the potential ecotoxicological consequences of increasing plastic pollution.
More Papers Like This
Plastics and other anthropogenic debris in freshwater birds from Canada.
AI summary Read the abstract
This study quantified plastic debris ingestion in 17 freshwater and one marine bird species across Canada, finding that over 11% of individuals had ingested anthropogenic debris. The results show that plastic pollution in freshwater environments affects birds at rates comparable to marine species, highlighting the need to extend plastic pollution monitoring beyond the ocean.
Birds as bioindicators of river pollution and beyond: specific and general lessons from an apex predator
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how Dipper birds — small songbirds that dive into rivers to feed — have been used as pollution indicators for river contamination, including metals, persistent chemicals, and microplastics. The review highlights how detailed ecological knowledge of a species, such as its diet, territory, and behavior, greatly strengthens its use as a pollution warning system, with lessons applicable to other indicator species.
High microplastic pollution in birds of urban waterbodies revealed by non-invasively collected faecal samples
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers analyzed bird droppings from urban freshwater habitats in Germany and found microplastic particles, mainly fibers, in 98% of samples across all species studied. The pollution levels were substantially higher than those reported in other freshwater bird studies, likely reflecting the heavy contamination of urban waterways. Since all the investigated species are at least partially migratory, the findings suggest birds may transport microplastics over long distances.
Abiotic and biotic patterns of microplastic concentration and potential for food-web uptake along a river continuum
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers sampled water, biofilm, and four macroinvertebrate families across 344 km of the Yakima River and found microplastics in nearly all samples — with insects preferentially ingesting fragments over fibers regardless of feeding strategy — pointing to aquatic insects as overlooked vectors carrying plastics from rivers into terrestrial food webs.
Microplastics and terrestrial birds: a review on plastic ingestion in ecological linchpins
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how microplastic pollution affects terrestrial birds — key ecological indicators — finding documented harms including intestinal blockage and developmental disruption, with implications for entire food webs since birds that ingest plastics can concentrate and transfer contamination to other species, including humans.
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.