Mistaking plastic for zooplankton: Risk assessment of plastic ingestion in the Mediterranean sea
| Type | : | ACL |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | : | Production scientifique |
| Au bénéfice du Laboratoire | : | Oui |
| Statut de publication | : | Publié |
| Année de publication | : | 2023 |
| Auteurs (6) | : | FABRI-RUIZ Salomé BAUDENA Alberto MOULLEC Fabien LOMBARD Fabien IRISSON Jean-olivier PEDROTTI Maria-luiza |
| Revue scientifique | : | Science of the Total Environment |
| Volume | : | 856 |
| Fascicule | : | |
| Pages | : | |
| DOI | : | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159011 |
| URL | : | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722061101 |
| Abstract | : | Floating plastic debris is a pervasive pollutant in seas and oceans, affecting a wide range of animals. In particular, microplastics (<5 mm in size) increase the possibility that marine species consume plastic and enter the food chain. The present study investigates this potential mistake between plastic debris and zooplankton by calculating the plastic debris to zooplankton ratio over the whole Mediterranean Sea. To this aim, in situ data from the Tara Mediterranean Expedition are combined with environmental and Lagrangian diagnostics in a machine learning approach to produce spatially-explicit maps of plastic debris and zooplankton abundance. We then analyse the plastic to zooplankton ratio in regions with high abundances of pelagic fish. Two of the major hotspots of pelagic fish, located in the Gulf of Gabès and Cilician basin, were associated with high ratio values. Finally, we compare the plastic to zooplankton ratio values in the Pelagos Sanctuary, an important hotspot for marine mammals, with other Geographical Sub-Areas, and find that they were among the larger of the Western Mediterranean Sea. Our results indicate a high potential risk of contamination of marine fauna by plastic and advocate for novel integrated modelling approaches which account for potential trophic transfer within the food chain. |
| Mots-clés | : | Marine plastic pollution; Pelagos sanctuary; Plastic to zooplankton ratio; Tara Mediterranean expedition; Zooplankton abundance |
| Commentaire | : | - |
| Tags | : | - |
| Fichier attaché | : | - |
| Citation | : |
Fabri-Ruiz S, Baudena A, Moullec F, Lombard F, Irisson J-O, Pedrotti M-L (2023) Mistaking plastic for zooplankton: Risk assessment of plastic ingestion in the Mediterranean sea. Sci Total Environ 856 | doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159011
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