4.7 Article

Assessing microplastic exposure of the Critically Endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) on a remote oceanic island

Related references

Note: Only part of the references are listed.
Article Environmental Sciences

Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of benthic by-catches from an eastern Mediterranean deep-sea environment

Giuseppe Esposito et al.

Summary: This study measured levels of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tracts of 34 fish from eight different deep-sea by-catches, finding that 48% of samples contained at least one microplastic item, with polyethylene being the most common. This preliminary study provides new data on microplastics ingestion by species inhabiting a deep-sea environment in the Mediterranean.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2022)

Article Environmental Sciences

The Status of Marine Megafauna Research in Macaronesia: A Systematic Review

Ashlie J. McIvor et al.

Summary: Marine megafauna play important ecological and economical roles globally, but their populations have declined significantly. This systematic review examines marine megafauna research in Macaronesia and highlights the need for more comprehensive studies and conservation efforts.

FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE (2022)

Article Zoology

Mitogenomics of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) reveals dramatic loss of diversity and supports historical gene-flow between Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean populations

Alba Rey-Iglesia et al.

Summary: The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the most threatened marine mammals, with a significant decrease in genetic diversity in the last 200 years. There is a clear segregation between the two North Atlantic populations, despite their geographical proximity. Historical gene-flow between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea was also detected.

ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY (2021)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Genetic and demographic history define a conservation strategy for earth's most endangered pinniped, the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus

Alexandros A. Karamanlidis et al.

Summary: The Mediterranean monk seal is a flagship species for marine conservation, but it still faces challenges such as population decline, high levels of inbreeding, and loss of genetic diversity. Research has shown that males exhibit philopatry over short distances, possibly due to their unique breeding behavior. Immediate action is necessary to improve the long-term prospects of survival for this species.

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2021)

Article Environmental Sciences

Microplastics, bisphenols, phthalates and pesticides in odontocete species in the Macaronesian Region (Eastern North Atlantic)

Tania Montoto-Martinez et al.

Summary: The study found that almost all of the six odontocete species in the Macaronesian Region have ingested microplastics, with bisphenols and DEHP being the predominant pollutants detected. Most of the detected microplastics were fibers rather than larger particles, and pesticide residues were also commonly found in the individuals.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2021)

Article Environmental Sciences

Understanding the occurrence and fate of microplastics in coastal Arctic ecosystems: The case of surface waters, sediments and walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

Pernilla Carlsson et al.

Summary: The Arctic ecosystem is impacted by contaminants transported through various pathways, including plastics. This study focuses on microplastics in Arctic fjords, examining their ecological consequences and presence in coastal waters and sediments, as well as their effects on an apex predator, the walrus.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2021)

Review Environmental Sciences

Critical review on microplastics in fecal matter: Research progress, analytical methods and future outlook

Fermin Perez-Guevara et al.

Summary: This review critically summarizes and compares methodologies for determining microplastics in feces and outlines global levels and characteristics of microplastics detected in feces. Despite methodological variations, most studies rely on digestion processes involving H2O2 and KOH, and combining microscopical sorting and spectroscopic methods for identification and characterization of microplastics. The review also identifies analytical challenges and suggests appropriate methods for researching microplastic contamination in feces.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2021)

Article Environmental Sciences

Marine litter footprint in the Azores Islands: A climatological perspective

C. Pieper et al.

Summary: The study showed that plastic accounted for 95% of all litter, with marine litter quantity used to determine anomalies, trends, and forecasts, serving as reference values for developing a diagnostic tool for pollution in the Azores.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2021)

Article Environmental Sciences

Modeling the Exposure of the Macaronesia Islands (NE Atlantic) to Marine Plastic Pollution

Claudio Cardoso et al.

Summary: The research focuses on the potential sources and pathways of plastic particles reaching the Macaronesian archipelagos, with results showing the North Atlantic subtropical gyre as a key feature. All archipelagos are significantly connected to areas of intensive fishing activity, with the east coasts of Central and North America serving as the main sources of land-based particles.

FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE (2021)

Review Environmental Sciences

Microplastics in marine biota: A review

Kevin Ugwu et al.

Summary: This study reviewed 132 articles and found that turtles are the group most affected by microplastics, with fibers being the predominant type, blue being the most common color, and the size mostly concentrated below 2 mm.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2021)

Review Multidisciplinary Sciences

Plastic ingestion as an evolutionary trap: Toward a holistic understanding

Robson G. Santos et al.

Summary: Human activities are altering ecosystems globally, with plastic pollution playing a predominant role. Wildlife ingest plastic due to factors such as the availability of plastics in the environment, an individual's acceptance threshold, and the overlap of cues given by natural foods and plastics, as identified through the evolutionary trap theory.

SCIENCE (2021)

Article Environmental Sciences

Microplastics in spotted seal cubs (Phoca largha): Digestion after ingestion?

Feifei Wang et al.

Summary: This study investigated the characteristics of microplastics found in spotted seal cubs, revealing that they were mainly present in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, with the main components being poly(ethylene terephthalate), polypropylene, and poly(acrylonitrile: acrylic acid).

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2021)

Article Biodiversity Conservation

Age-specific survival and reproductive rates of Mediterranean monk seals at the Cabo Blanco Peninsula, West Africa

Pablo Fernandez de Larrinoa et al.

Summary: This study provides the first complete set of survival rate estimates for the Mediterranean monk seal from birth into adulthood, as well as the first age-specific reproductive rates for the species. The results show that despite low survival during the first months of life, the aggregate vital rates of the population are favorable for growth.

ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH (2021)

Review Environmental Sciences

Quantitative overview of marine debris ingested by marine megafauna

Susanne Kuhn et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2020)

Article Environmental Sciences

A Comprehensive First Baseline for Marine Litter Characterization in the Madeira Archipelago (NE Atlantic)

Soledad Alvarez et al.

WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION (2020)

Article Environmental Sciences

First evaluation of neustonic microplastics in the Macaronesian region, NE Atlantic

A. Herrera et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2020)

Article Environmental Sciences

Monitoring the occurrence of microplastic ingestion in Otariids along the Peruvian and Chilean coasts

Diego J. Perez-Venegas et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2020)

Review Environmental Sciences

Environmental status of (micro)plastics contamination in Portugal

Joana C. Prata et al.

ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY (2020)

Review Environmental Sciences

Effects and Mechanisms of Phthalates' Action on Reproductive Processes and Reproductive Health: A Literature Review

Henrieta Hlisnikova et al.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH (2020)

Article Environmental Sciences

Microplastic ingestion by Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) in the Canary Islands coast

A. Herrera et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2019)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Microplastics in marine mammals stranded around the British coast: ubiquitous but transitory?

S. E. Nelms et al.

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2019)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Microplastics in gentoo penguins from the Antarctic region

Filipa Bessa et al.

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS (2019)

Article Environmental Sciences

Evaluating exposure of northern fur seals, Callorhinus ursinus, to microplastic pollution through fecal analysis

Mary J. Donohue et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2019)

Article Environmental Sciences

Plastic pollution in islands of the Atlantic Ocean

Raqueline C. P. Monteiro et al.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (2018)

Article Environmental Sciences

Investigating microplastic trophic transfer in marine top predators

Sarah E. Nelms et al.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (2018)

Article Environmental Sciences

Spatio-temporal variability of beached macro-litter on remote islands of the North Atlantic

Noelia Rios et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2018)

Editorial Material Ecology

Microplastics: No Small Problem for Filter-Feeding Megafauna

Elitza S. Germanov et al.

TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION (2018)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Turning microplastics into nanoplastics through digestive fragmentation by Antarctic krill

Amanda L. Dawson et al.

NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2018)

Article Environmental Sciences

Microplastics in the stomach contents of common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) stranded on the Galician coasts (NW Spain, 2005-2010)

Alberto Hernandez-Gonzalez et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2018)

Article Environmental Sciences

Plastic ingestion in oceanic-stage loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) off the North Atlantic subtropical gyre

Christopher K. Pham et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2017)

Editorial Material Multidisciplinary Sciences

Marine microplastics spell big problems for future generations

Tamara S. Galloway et al.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2016)

Review Environmental Sciences

Microplastics in the marine environment: Current trends and future perspectives

Luis Gabriel Antao Barboza et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2015)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

The deep sea is a major sink for microplastic debris

Lucy C. Woodall et al.

ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE (2014)

Review Environmental Sciences

The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: A review

Stephanie L. Wright et al.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (2013)

Article Environmental Sciences

Plastic ingestion by harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in The Netherlands

Elisa L. Bravo Rebolledo et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2013)

Article Ecology

Population resilience of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus at Cabo Blanco peninsula

M. Martinez-Jauregui et al.

MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES (2012)

Article Environmental Sciences

High prevalence of parental delivery of plastic debris in Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea)

Airam Rodriguez et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2012)

Article Environmental Sciences

Numerical modelling of floating debris in the world's oceans

L. C. -M. Lebreton et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2012)

Article Biochemical Research Methods

NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis

Caroline A. Schneider et al.

NATURE METHODS (2012)

Review Environmental Sciences

Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review

Matthew Cole et al.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (2011)

Article Marine & Freshwater Biology

Diet of the Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) in Greek Waters

Graham J. Pierce et al.

AQUATIC MAMMALS (2011)

Review Biology

Components of plastic: experimental studies in animals and relevance for human health

Chris E. Talsness et al.

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (2009)

Article Environmental Sciences

Bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and hexabromocyclododecane in the northwest Atlantic marine food web

Susan D. Shaw et al.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2009)

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Lost at sea: Where is all the plastic?

RC Thompson et al.

SCIENCE (2004)

Article Oceanography

Surface circulation in the eastern North Atlantic, from drifters and altimetry -: art. no. 3217

CS Martins et al.

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS (2002)

Article Environmental Sciences

Sea-surface signatures of the island mass effect phenomena around Madeira Island, Northeast Atlantic

RMA Caldeira et al.

REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT (2002)