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New Methods for the Quantification of Ingested Nano- and Ultrafine Plastics in Seabirds.
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This study developed flow cytometry as a method to detect and quantify very small plastic particles (under 70 micrometers) in the feces of seabirds, addressing a major gap in detecting nano- and ultrafine plastics that standard techniques miss. Testing on two Australian shearwater species showed the method could detect particles far smaller than previously measurable, suggesting that seabirds ingest far more plastic by particle count than previously recognized.
Plastic ingestion has been documented in a plethora of taxa. However, there is a significant gap in the detection of nano- and ultrafine particles due to size limitations of commonly used techniques. Using two Australian seabird species as case studies, the flesh-footed shearwater (FFSH) and short-tailed shearwater (STSH) , we tested a novel approach of flow cytometry to quantify ingested particles <70 μm in the fecal precursor (guano; colon and cloacal contents) of both species. This method provided the first baseline data set for these species for plastics in the 200 nm-70 μm particle size ranges and detected a mean of 553.50 ± 91.21 and 350.70 ± 52.08 plastics (count/mg fecal precursor, wet mass) in STSH and FFSH, respectively, whereas Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) provided accurate measurements of polymer compositions and quantities in the size range above 5.5 × 5.5 μm. The abundance of nano- and ultrafine particles in the guano (count/mg) was not significantly different between species (-value = 0.051), suggesting that foraging distribution or prey items, but not species, may contribute to the consumption of small plastics. In addition, there was no correlation between macroplastics in the stomach compared to the fecal precursor, indicating that small particles are likely bioaccumulating (e.g., through shedding and digestive fragmentation) and/or being directly ingested. Combining flow cytometry with FT-IR provides a powerful quantitative and qualitative analysis tool for detecting particles orders of magnitude smaller than that are currently explored with wider applications across taxa and marine environments.
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Microplastics including fibers and fragments were detected in faecal precursors (pellets) from seabirds known to ingest plastics, providing non-lethal evidence of plastic ingestion that could be used in monitoring programs. The method offers a practical way to assess plastic ingestion in protected seabird species without requiring destructive sampling.
Rapid methods for the quantification of ingested nano-and microplastics in marine fish by imaging flow cytometry
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Researchers developed a rapid, high-throughput method using imaging flow cytometry to quantify nano- and microplastics ingested by marine fish. The optimized technique uses Nile Red fluorescent staining and morphology-based corrections to accurately count plastic particles, providing a faster and more reliable alternative to conventional detection methods for ecological risk assessments.
Size and dynamics of microplastic in gastrointestinal tracts of Northern Fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis ) and Sooty Shearwaters ( Ardenna grisea )
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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.
Seabird plastic ingestion differs among collection methods: Examples from the short-tailed shearwater.
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This study compared plastic loads in short-tailed shearwaters collected as fishing bycatch versus naturally dead beached birds, finding that naturally dead birds carried significantly more plastic debris. The results suggest that studies relying only on beached carcasses overestimate typical plastic ingestion rates in seabird populations.
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