Are whale sharks exposed to persistent organic pollutants and plastic pollution in the Gulf of California (Mexico)? First ecotoxicological investigation using skin biopsies

Fossi, María Cristina; Baini, Matteo; Panti, Cristina; Galli, Matteo; Jiménez, Begoña; Moreira, Juan; Marsili, Letizia; Finoia, María Grazia; Ramírez‐Macías, Dení

doi:10.1016/j.cbpc.2017.03.002

Cited by 71 publications

(49 citation statements)

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“…Certain textiles may contain toxic chemicals such as BPA (bisphenol A) and BPS (bisphenol S) 104 , with both chemicals capable of causing disruption to reproductive and endocrine systems as well as growth suppression in marine taxa, at relatively low doses [105][106][107][108] . Other studies have shown different associated contaminants can present inherent biological risks to various species, including elasmobranchs 34,35,40,109 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microplastic ingestion in elasmobranchs. Elasmobranchs are relatively understudied in regards to threats from plastic pollution 32,33 , nonetheless their susceptibility to microplastic ingestion has been reported in a handful of scientific publications 22,[34][35][36][37][38][39] . It is thought that some species of elasmobranch may be at higher risk of microplastic ingestion based on their feeding strategies or habitat use 35 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Investigating the presence of microplastics in demersal sharks of the North-East Atlantic

Parton

Godley

Santillo

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Microplastic pollution is ubiquitous in the marine environment and is ingested by numerous marine species. Sharks are an understudied group regarding their susceptibility to microplastic ingestion. Here, we provide evidence of ingestion of microplastic and other anthropogenic fibres in four demersal sharks species found in the waters of the United Kingdom and investigate whether body burdens of contamination vary according to species, sex or size. Sharks were collected from the northEast Atlantic. Stomachs and digestive tracts of 46 sharks of 4 species were examined and 67% of samples contained at least one contaminant particle. Although we acknowledge modest sample size, estimated particle burden increased with body size but did not vary systematically with sex or species. A total of 379 particles were identified, leading to median estimates ranging from 2 to 7.5 ingested contaminants per animal for the 4 species. The majority were fibrous in nature (95%) and blue (88%) or black (9%) in colour. A subsample of contaminants (N = 62) were subject to FT-IR spectroscopy and polymers identified as: synthetic cellulose (33.3%), polypropylene (25%), polyacrylamides (10%) and polyester (8.3%). The level of risk posed to shark species by this level of contamination is unknown. Nevertheless, this study presents the first empirical evidence and an important baseline for ingestion of microplastics and other anthropogenic fibres in native UK shark species and highlights the pervasive nature of these pollutants. plastics in the marine environment. Research on plastic in the marine environment has accelerated rapidly in the last decade, with numerous publications describing its impact on ecosystems and marine taxa 1-7. It is estimated that between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans every year from a variety of sources 6. Plastic is a popular material due to its durability, low production cost and efficiency in its uses 8. It is these properties, alongside its often disposable nature that leads to its prevalence in the environment for many years 9. Microplastics (defined as plastic particles < 5 mm) 10 are ubiquitous in the marine environment 11-13. Despite this knowledge, quantitative assessments of their abundance are still fairly limited 14 , although some estimates place their abundance at 5.25 trillion particles globally, weighing in at over 250,000 tonnes 5. Microplastics, in the form of fibres, fragments or beads/spheres, assimilate in the marine ecosystem via multiple avenues. Larger pieces of plastic can disintegrate over time due to UV radiation exposure, wave action and physical abrasion, eventually fragmenting into microscopic particles 15. Microplastics are also found in many everyday items used by humans including cosmetic products and can be produced by clothing wear 16-19. These can then reach the oceans via wastewater treatment plants 20. ingestion of microplastics in marine species. Ingestion of microplastics is reported in many marine species including turtles, marine mammals and fish 1,21...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Investigating the presence of microplastics in demersal sharks of the North-East Atlantic

Parton

Godley

Santillo

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Previous studies found elevated levels of some heavy metals in mobulid tissues (Essumang, 2009(Essumang, , 2010Ooi et al, 2015), but low levels of POPs (Germanov et al, in prep; Fernando, unpublished). Phthalates and/or POPs have been recorded in tissue samples of baleen whales, basking sharks and whale sharks in areas with high levels of microplastic pollution (Fossi et al, 2014(Fossi et al, , 2016(Fossi et al, , 2017, indicating that filter feeding organisms are likely bioaccumulating these pollutants as a result of plastic ingestion. Future research in mobulids could evaluate levels of phthalates, POPs and heavy metals in mobulid tissues across gradients of microplastic pollution to determine how bioaccumulation scales with pollutant levels in the environment and to identify heavily impacted populations.…”

Section: Identifying Trophic Interactions With Pollutantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research Priorities to Support Effective Manta and Devil Ray Conservation

et al. 2018

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Manta and devil rays are filter-feeding elasmobranchs that are found circumglobally in tropical and subtropical waters. Although relatively understudied for most of the Twentieth century, public awareness and scientific research on these species has increased dramatically in recent years. Much of this attention has been in response to targeted fisheries, international trade in mobulid products, and a growing concern over the fate of exploited populations. Despite progress in mobulid research, major knowledge gaps still exist, hindering the development of effective management and conservation strategies. We assembled 30 leaders and emerging experts in the fields of mobulid biology, ecology, and conservation to identify pressing knowledge gaps that must be filled to facilitate improved science-based management of these vulnerable species. We highlight focal research topics in the subject areas of taxonomy and diversity, life history, reproduction and nursery areas, population trends, bycatch and fisheries, spatial dynamics and Stewart et al. Research Priorities for Mobulid Rays movements, foraging and diving, pollution and contaminants, and sub-lethal impacts. Mobulid rays remain a poorly studied group, and therefore our list of important knowledge gaps is extensive. However, we hope that this identification of high priority knowledge gaps will stimulate and focus future mobulid research.

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“…Records were obtained from biological data repositories (http://gbif.org, http://obis.org) and published scientific literature. Sightings from scientific surveys were reported between 1996 and 2018 for BLA (Nelson & Eckert, 2007; Peregrín Tovar, 2014) and BLP (Fossi et al ., 2017; Ketchum et al ., 2013; Pancaldi et al ., 2019; Whitehead et al ., 2019b), while occurrence records from NAY were obtained during the period 2013–2019 (Ramírez‐Macías et al ., 2015, 2016; Whitehead, unpublished data). These records were obtained during multiple scientific or tourist surveys, in which a standardization according to the sampling effort was not possible, thus the records of occurrence were driven by the different sampling efforts in known distribution areas.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat suitability ofRhincodon typusin three localities of the Gulf of California: Environmental drivers of seasonal aggregations

Petatán‐Ramírez

Whitehead

Guerrero-Izquierdo

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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The whale shark is an endangered species that usually feeds in coastal areas of highly productive seas such as the Gulf of California, Mexico. This study aims to describe the effect of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a, bathymetry and slope on the habitat suitability of whale sharks in three important aggregation sites of the Gulf of California. A total of 2396 records of occurrence of whale sharks were obtained from international databases and scientific literature between 1996 and 2018. These records were used for the creation of a species distribution model using MaxEnt for each of the three aggregation sites. The concentration of chlorophyll a explained 71% of the habitat suitability, followed by bathymetry and slope with a combined 17%, and sea surface temperature constituting 10% of the model. Habitat suitability was related to areas where nontargeted fisheries may impact whale sharks through bycatch, entanglement and ship strikes. The implications for the conservation of whale sharks should be considered for management decisions in terms of marine protected areas, fishing refugees or bans, and other regulations regarding fisheries activities.

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Are whale sharks exposed to persistent organic pollutants and plastic pollution in the Gulf of California (Mexico)? First ecotoxicological investigation using skin biopsies

Cited by 71 publications

References 50 publications

Investigating the presence of microplastics in demersal sharks of the North-East Atlantic

Investigating the presence of microplastics in demersal sharks of the North-East Atlantic

Research Priorities to Support Effective Manta and Devil Ray Conservation

Habitat suitability ofRhincodon typusin three localities of the Gulf of California: Environmental drivers of seasonal aggregations

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