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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Seabirds: studies with parasitofauna and potential indicator for environmental anthropogenic impacts
ClearSeabirds as indicators of distribution, trends and population level effects of plastics in the Arctic marine environment. Workshop Report
This workshop report examines the use of seabirds as indicators of plastic and microplastic pollution in Arctic marine environments, summarizing current monitoring methods and knowledge gaps. Seabirds accumulate plastics through ingestion, making them useful sentinels for tracking pollution trends.
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.
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.
Co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic
This study examined whether Arctic seabirds that ingest microplastics also accumulate chemical contaminants carried by the plastic particles. The findings suggest that microplastics can act as vectors for delivering toxic chemicals to seabirds, adding to the burden of pollutants already present in Arctic food webs.
Contaminantes en aves marinas de Sudamérica, una revisión sistemática
This systematic review examines contaminants -- including microplastics, heavy metals, organochlorines, and other pollutants -- documented in South American seabirds, which are particularly vulnerable due to their use of both terrestrial and marine environments and their position in upper trophic levels. The review synthesizes evidence on contamination levels, exposure pathways, and documented effects on seabird populations and ecosystems.
Seabirds from the poles: microplastics pollution sentinels
Researchers reviewed four decades of studies on microplastic ingestion by seabirds in Arctic and Antarctic regions, covering at least 13 species. They found that polar seabirds regularly ingest microplastics, with polyethylene being the most common type detected. The study highlights that even some of the most remote ecosystems on Earth are not immune to plastic pollution.
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.
Plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants in the preen gland oil of seabirds sampled across the globe
Researchers analyzed preen gland oil from 145 seabirds across 32 species worldwide for plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants. The study found PCBs and pesticides were ubiquitous and correlated with trophic level, while plastic-associated UV stabilizers were detected in 46% of individuals, suggesting that seabirds are exposed to plastic-derived chemicals alongside traditional pollutants through their diet.
Seabirds as biovectors in the transport of plastic debris across ecosystem borders: A case study from the Humboldt Current Upwelling System
This study examined how seabirds transport plastic debris across ecosystem boundaries, finding that foraging at sea and nesting on land creates significant cross-ecosystem transfer of plastics through regurgitation, feces, and nest materials.
Physiological and Toxicological Effects of Nano/Microplastics on Marine Birds
This chapter reviews the physiological and toxicological effects of nano/microplastics on marine seabirds, which are recognized as bioindicators for plastic pollution due to their role as apex predators and their extensive exposure through foraging. The authors document starvation, reproductive failure, diminished body weight, and tissue damage in seabirds from plastic ingestion, calling for improved waste management policies to reduce plastic accumulation in marine environments.
Microplastics in full view: Birds as bioindicators of Malta's coastal ecosystem health
This study used coastal water birds as bioindicators to assess microplastic contamination along Malta's Mediterranean coastline, finding microplastics in multiple bird species. The approach demonstrates how wildlife monitoring can provide a practical method for tracking regional marine pollution levels.
Métodos para avaliação da exposição a poluentes plásticos em procellariiformes
This paper reviews methods for assessing plastic exposure in Procellariiformes seabirds — including albatrosses and petrels — focusing on how to measure plastic ingestion in both live and beached birds. Standardized methods are needed to monitor how plastic pollution affects these ocean-going birds over time.
Seabirds from the poles: microplastics pollution sentinels
Scientists reviewed studies showing that seabirds in the Arctic and Antarctica are eating tiny plastic pieces called microplastics, with birds containing an average of 7-35 plastic fragments per sample. This matters because these remote polar regions were once considered pristine, but plastic pollution has now reached even these far-off places through ocean currents and wind. Since seabirds are early warning signs of environmental health, their contamination suggests that plastic pollution is spreading everywhere in our oceans and food webs.
Microplastic toxicity: A review of the role of marine sentinel species in assessing the environmental and public health impacts
Researchers reviewed how marine animals — particularly seabirds like the herring gull — can serve as sentinel species to monitor the real-world health effects of microplastic exposure across ecosystems. Because plastic pollution affects biological pathways shared across many species including humans, studying wildlife that naturally ingests varying amounts of plastic offers valuable insights into long-term toxicity risks.
Prevalência e tipos de plásticos em Albatrozes e Petréis (aves: procellariiformes)
Researchers quantified and classified plastic debris in Procellariiformes seabirds — albatrosses and petrels — found on Brazilian beaches, finding plastic ingestion in multiple species. These ocean-going birds are among the most vulnerable to plastic pollution because they feed from the ocean surface where plastics concentrate.
Presence of microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on subantarctic seabirds
Researchers detected microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in subantarctic seabirds, finding contamination in species nesting in remote locations far from direct pollution sources. The findings indicate that ocean currents and atmospheric transport deliver contaminants to even the most isolated seabird colonies.
Impact of anthropogenous environmental factors on the marine ecosystem of trophically transmitted helminths and hosting seabirds: Focus on North Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic and the Arctic seas
This review examined how human activities -- including fishing, shipping, aquaculture, and pollution -- affect the marine ecology of trophically transmitted helminths and their seabird hosts in the North Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic, and Arctic seas. The authors summarize how anthropogenic pressures alter parasite transmission dynamics in these vulnerable ecosystems.
Presence of microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on subantarctic seabirds
Researchers detected microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in subantarctic seabirds from remote breeding sites, finding contamination despite geographic isolation from direct pollution sources. The results confirm that oceanic and atmospheric transport pathways carry contaminants to even the most protected seabird habitats.
Seabirds from the poles: microplastics pollution sentinels
Scientists reviewed 40 years of research and found that seabirds in the Arctic and Antarctica are eating tiny plastic pieces, with birds containing an average of 7-35 plastic fragments each. This matters because these remote polar regions were once considered pristine, but plastic pollution has now reached even these far-off places. Since seabirds are early warning signs of environmental problems, their plastic contamination suggests that microplastics are spreading everywhere in our oceans and food webs.
The hidden cost of following currents: Microplastic ingestion in a planktivorous seabird
Researchers documented microplastic ingestion in Mediterranean storm petrels, finding that these planktivorous seabirds ingest microplastics while foraging in pelagic areas where plastic debris accumulates alongside their planktonic prey in ocean currents.
Characterization of Plastics Ingested by the Bioindicator Cory’s Shearwater from Tenerife Island (Canary Islands): Implications for Marine Environmental Monitoring
Researchers characterised 674 plastic items found in the stomachs of Cory's shearwater fledglings from the Canary Islands, finding that ingested plastics were predominantly large microplastics (1-5 mm, 82%) with threadlike morphology, and that the birds serve as effective bioindicators of marine plastic pollution in the eastern Atlantic.
Assessing the risks of marine debris ingestion to Procellariiform seabirds
This study assessed the risks of marine debris ingestion for Procellariiform seabirds — one of the world's most threatened bird groups — finding that plastic ingestion poses significant risks to health and survival. The analysis highlights how plastic pollution interacts with other stressors affecting globally threatened seabird species.
Parasites as “Ecological Indicators” for Marine Vertebrates Monitoring and Ecosystem Stability
This review examines how parasites can serve as ecological indicators of marine ecosystem health and vertebrate population status, arguing that integrating parasitological data into marine monitoring programs would enhance understanding of ecosystem dynamics and improve conservation and management decision-making.
Long-term variations in size and polymer type of meso- and microplastics in seabirds and on beaches since the 1980s
Researchers analyzed plastics found in seabird stomachs and on beaches at a remote South Atlantic island across several decades since the 1980s to track long-term changes in marine plastic pollution. They found shifts in the types and sizes of plastic polymers over time, reflecting changes in global plastic production and how plastics degrade at sea. The study demonstrates that seabirds can serve as effective long-term monitors of floating plastic pollution trends in the ocean.