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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Plastic pollution threatens shorebirds: a global review
ClearPlastic pollution threatens shorebirds: a global review
This systematic review summarizes global research on how plastic pollution threatens shorebirds. While focused on wildlife rather than human health, it highlights the sheer scale of microplastic contamination in coastal environments where both birds and humans interact with the same food web.
Shorebirds ingest plastics too: what we know, what we do not know, and what we should do next
This review synthesized existing knowledge on plastic ingestion by shorebirds, finding that despite high potential exposure through foraging in contaminated habitats, research on shorebird plastic ingestion remains limited and requires more systematic investigation.
Birds and plastic pollution: recent advances
This review summarizes how plastic pollution affects birds across both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, covering ingestion, entanglement, and chemical exposure from macro- and microplastics. Researchers found that hundreds of bird species have accumulated plastic in their tissues, with effects ranging from physical injury to hormonal disruption and reproductive harm. The study positions birds as valuable indicator species for monitoring the broader environmental impact of plastic pollution.
The threat of microplastics: Exploring pollution in coastal ecosystems and migratory shorebirds along the west coast of India
Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination across ten coastal sites on India's west coast, testing water, sediment, invertebrate prey, and shorebird droppings. Microplastics, mostly fibers, were found in all sample types, with water identified as the primary pathway for spreading plastics through the food chain. The study demonstrates how microplastics move from water through prey animals to top predators, illustrating the food chain transfer that ultimately could affect human seafood consumption.
Contamination of coastal and marine bird species with plastics: Global analysis and synthesis
This review summarizes global data on plastic contamination in coastal and marine bird species across all seven continents, finding that seabirds like fulmars, shearwaters, and albatrosses are the most heavily affected. Birds ingest microplastics, mesoplastics, and macroplastics that can cause death directly through gut blockage and indirectly through toxic chemicals absorbed onto or released from the plastic. Several contaminated species are already classified as endangered.
Tracing microplastics in environmental sources and migratory shorebirds along the Central Asian Flyway
Researchers tracked microplastic contamination along migratory bird routes in central Asia, testing mudflats, mangroves, and the birds themselves. They found microplastics in both the environment and the digestive tracts of shorebirds, showing that these pollutants are moving through coastal food webs and may be carried across continents by migrating birds.
Review of contaminant levels and effects in shorebirds: Knowledge gaps and conservation priorities
This review assessed contaminant levels and effects in shorebirds across 93 studies, finding significant knowledge gaps regarding microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and emerging pollutants, and identifying contamination as an understudied but important threat to declining shorebird populations.
Shorebird droppings analysis: Microplastics and heavy metals in a key conservation reserve and adjoining sand beaches in the west coast of India
Researchers analyzed droppings from ten migratory shorebird species at a conservation reserve on India's west coast and found microplastics and heavy metals in samples from all species. The contamination levels varied by species and season, reflecting differences in diet and habitat use. Since shorebirds are top predators in coastal food webs, their contamination indicates widespread microplastic and heavy metal pollution throughout the coastal ecosystem.
Birds as Bioindicators: Revealing the Widespread Impact of Microplastics
This systematic review found microplastics in over 200 bird species across the globe, from Antarctica to South Europe. Birds can suffer gut damage, oxidative stress, and toxic chemical buildup from ingesting plastics — a warning sign for broader ecosystem and food chain contamination that could affect humans too.
Birds as bioindicators of plastic pollution in terrestrial and freshwater environments: A 30-year review
This 30-year review of 106 studies examines how birds in freshwater and land environments are affected by plastic pollution. Most research has focused on larger plastic pieces, while microplastic exposure in these bird species is understudied and nanoplastic exposure has not been investigated at all. The authors urge researchers to develop standardized methods for measuring small plastic particles in birds, which could serve as valuable warning signs of plastic pollution across ecosystems.
Plastic and other microfibers in sediments, macroinvertebrates and shorebirds from three intertidal wetlands of southern Europe and west Africa
This study measured microfibers and other microplastics in sediments, macroinvertebrates, and shorebirds across estuaries in Portugal with varying levels of urban impact. The research found that microplastic contamination increased with human population pressure and was transferred up the food web from invertebrates to birds.
From mudflats and saltpans to Open Sea: Plastic ingestion and PBDE/MeO-BDE accumulation in Waterbirds from southern Portugal
Researchers studied plastic ingestion and flame retardant chemical accumulation in breeding waterbirds from a coastal lagoon in southern Portugal. They found microplastics in regurgitated pellets and droppings from multiple species, with gulls and terns ingesting the most particles. The study also detected persistent flame retardant chemicals in eggs, feathers, and preen oil, suggesting that plastic pollution exposes coastal birds to both physical and chemical hazards across their feeding habitats.
A systematic review and scientometrics analysis on microplastic pollution on coastal beaches around the globe
This systematic review analyzes microplastic pollution on coastal beaches worldwide. The research found that beach contamination varies widely by region but is present on virtually every coastline studied. This matters because beaches are not just recreational areas but also habitats where microplastics can enter marine food webs and eventually reach people through seafood consumption.
What is known and unknown about the effects of plastic pollution: A meta‐analysis and systematic review
This meta-analysis and systematic review pools data from hundreds of studies to assess whether plastic pollution, both large pieces and microplastics, poses a real ecological threat. The findings confirm negative effects on wildlife across many species and environments, underscoring that plastic pollution is not just an aesthetic problem but a genuine risk to ecosystems and the food chains humans rely on.
Exposure to microplastics by pelagic and coastal seabirds from temperate and tropical environments
Researchers examined microplastic exposure in pelagic and coastal seabird species from temperate and tropical marine environments, using the birds' broad spatial distribution and feeding behavior to assess microplastic distribution and concentration patterns across oceanic regions.
Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing
Researchers performed a global spatial risk analysis combining ocean plastic distribution data with the ranges of 186 seabird species to assess which birds face the greatest threat from plastic ingestion. They found that nearly 60% of all seabird species have been documented with plastic in their guts, and predicted that 99% of species will be affected by 2050 at current trends. The study identifies the Southern Ocean as a particular hotspot of risk where high plastic concentrations overlap with diverse and vulnerable seabird populations.
Plastic pollution in the marine environment
This review provides a comprehensive overview of plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments, covering everything from how plastics enter the ocean to their effects on marine life. Researchers compiled global data showing microplastic concentrations ranging widely across different water bodies and sediments, with marine organisms accumulating significant amounts. The study underscores that plastic pollution causes ecological damage through entanglement, ingestion toxicity, and the transport of invasive species.
Microplastics and the Impact of Plastic on Wildlife: A Literature Review
This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic ingestion and accumulation in seabirds and wildlife, examining the pathways by which microplastics move through marine food webs and the potential physiological harm to upper-trophic predators.
Impact of microplastic pollution on the ocean and marine animals: A comprehensive review
This comprehensive review synthesized evidence on how microplastic pollution affects ocean health and marine animals, covering ingestion, entanglement, chemical toxicity, and ecosystem-level impacts. It found pervasive harm across marine food webs and called for urgent global reduction measures.
A horizon scanning assessment of current and potential future threats to migratory shorebirds
An expert panel of shorebird researchers conducted a horizon scan and identified 45 current and emerging threats to migratory shorebirds — including plastic pollution, habitat loss, climate change, and disease. The study provides a research and conservation roadmap for a globally declining group of birds that use coastal and wetland habitats.
Cross-ecosystem impacts of plastic pollution: a systematic analysis of environmental threats
A systematic analysis of recent literature on plastic pollution across ecosystems found that microplastics impair organisms through physical ingestion, chemical toxicity, and facilitated transfer of co-contaminants, with cross-ecosystem effects linking terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments.
Assessing microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in bird lungs: evidence of ecological risks and bioindicator potential
Researchers examined the lungs of 51 bird species and found microplastics in all of them, averaging over 400 particles per gram of lung tissue, with nanoplastics also detected in five species tested. Birds may serve as early warning indicators of airborne plastic pollution, and the widespread contamination of their lungs suggests that humans breathing the same air face similar exposure risks.
Effects of marine microplastic on marine life and the food webs – A detailed review
This review provides a comprehensive look at microplastic pollution in marine environments, covering sources, impacts on marine life, and risks to human health through the seafood supply chain. Microplastics cause physical harm like gut blockages in marine animals and can carry toxic chemicals that accumulate up the food chain. The authors emphasize that with global plastic production still rising, urgent policy action and better waste management are needed to protect both ocean ecosystems and human health.
Microplastic ingestion: Are seabirds more affected than other marine species?
This review examines whether seabirds ingest plastic more frequently than other marine species, finding they are among the most affected groups with high rates of plastic ingestion documented across species. The review discusses factors including foraging behavior, habitat, and ocean plastic concentrations that explain why seabirds are particularly vulnerable.