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McIvor AJ, Pires R, Lopes C, Raimundo J, Campos PF, Pais MP, Canning-Clode J, Dinis A. Assessing microplastic exposure of the Critically Endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) on a remote oceanic island. Sci Total Environ 2023; 856:159077. [PMID: 36181822 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (<5 mm) are a ubiquitous marine pollutant which are highly bioavailable to marine organisms across all trophic levels. Marine predators are especially vulnerable to microplastic pollution through direct and indirect ingestion (e.g., trophic transfer) due to their high trophic position. In particular, oceanic islands are more susceptible to plastic accumulation, increasing the relative number of microplastics in the environment that are available for consumption. The dynamics of microplastic accumulation in marine predators inhabiting remote islands, however, is sparsely documented. Here we describe microplastic exposure in the Critically Endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) from the Madeira archipelago (Northeast Atlantic) using scat-based analysis. Microplastics were recovered from 18 scat samples collected between 2014-2021 and were characterized to the polymer level using Fourier-Transform Infrared (u-FTIR) spectroscopy. A total of 390 microplastic particles were recovered, ranging between 0.2-8.6 particles g-1 dry weight (mean 1.84 ± 2.14 particles g-1) consisting mainly of fragments (69 %) of various sizes and polymer composition (e.g., PE, PET, PS). Microplastic prevalence (100 % of samples analysed) was higher than what has been previously recorded using scat-based analysis in other pinniped species. Our results suggest that the levels of microplastic pollution in the coastal food-web in the Madeira archipelago are relatively high, placing higher-trophic level organisms at increased risk of microplastic consumption, including humans. This study provides the first insights into microplastic exposure to Madeira's monk seals that may contribute to future management decisions for the species and their long-term survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlie J McIvor
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation (ARDITI), Funchal, Portugal; Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Rosa Pires
- Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza, IP-RAM, Funchal, Portugal
| | - Clara Lopes
- IPMA-Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere, Lisbon, Portugal; CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Joana Raimundo
- IPMA-Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere, Lisbon, Portugal; CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Paula F Campos
- CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Miguel P Pais
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Canning-Clode
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation (ARDITI), Funchal, Portugal; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD 21037, USA
| | - Ana Dinis
- MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre/ARNET-Aquatic Research Network, Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation (ARDITI), Funchal, Portugal
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Williams CT, McIvor AJ, Wallace EM, Lin YJ, Berumen ML. Genetic diversity and life-history traits of bonefish Albula spp. from the Red Sea. J Fish Biol 2021; 98:855-864. [PMID: 33258479 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The management of bonefishes Albula spp. has been hindered by unresolved species distributions and a general lack of life-history information. This study provides the first genetic species identifications of Albula spp. from the northern Indian Ocean. The roundjaw bonefish Albula glossodonta was documented in the Red Sea, and the smallscale bonefish A. oligolepis was identified in the Gulf of Aden with no evidence supporting sympatry. Estimates of genetic differentiation indicate three closely related lineages of A. glossodonta in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean (Red Sea-Pacific Ocean, Fst = 0.295; Red Sea-Seychelles, Fst = 0.193; Pacific Ocean-Seychelles, Fst = 0.141). In addition, the authors provide the first life-history information of Albula spp. in the Indian Ocean. Age-based growth models of A. glossodonta from the Red Sea demonstrated statistically significant differences compared to previously published data from the Pacific Ocean. Spawning activity during winter months was derived from gonado-somatic index values of A. glossodonta from the Red Sea and corresponded with spawning seasonality previously documented for the species in the Pacific Ocean. The results of this study aid in refining biogeographical uncertainties of Albula spp. and illustrate the importance of collecting regional growth information for subsequent management of A. glossodonta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin T Williams
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashlie J McIvor
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Elizabeth M Wallace
- Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
| | - Yu-Jia Lin
- Center for Environment and Water, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Michael L Berumen
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Abstract
The evolution of the concept of industrial fatigue and the responses of employers and the government in Britain to research initiatives in this field of industrial medicine up to the end of the first world war is explored. The discussion dovetails in with the broader debate about the characteristics and dissemination of scientific labour management in Britain. The first section focuses on attitudes towards human energy expenditure and overwork in the nineteenth century. Following this is a discussion of the shorter hours movement of the 1890s, the important experiment at the Manchester engineering firm of Mather and Platt, and the reaction of British employers and the government to this. Finally, a brief analysis is made of the progress in research into workers' health, fatigue, and efficiency during the 1914-8 war, particularly concentrating on the role of the Health and Munition Workers Committee in pioneering the scientific study of industrial medicine. This led directly to the establishment of the Industrial Fatigue Research Board in 1918. Though there are significant caveats, it is argued that before the first world war a wide gap existed between research findings, best practice, and the common workshop experience and that in general British management (with some notable exceptions) grossly neglected the human element in production, ignored human physiological and psychological limitations, and hence both created and exacerbated serious problems of mental and physical fatigue and overstrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J McIvor
- Department of History, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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