Journal
FACETS
Volume 4, Issue -, Pages 111-130Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1139/facets-2018-0043
Keywords
bird; bolus; diet analysis; marine debris; method standardization; necropsy; plastic debris; plastic ingestion
Categories
Funding
- G. Weston Foundation Postdoctoral in Northern Research Fellowship
- David H. Smith Fellowship
- BirdLife Tasmania
- Detached Foundation
- Save our Shearwaters
- Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation [SWR/4/2015]
- Sydney Sea Life Foundation
- Trading Consultants Ltd.
- W.V. Scott Charitable Trust
- Earth and Life Sciences section of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (ALW-NWO) [856.15.001]
- Faroese Research Council
- Statoil Faroes
- University of Queensland
- National Scientific and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
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Marine plastic pollution is an environmental contaminant of significant concern. There is a lack of consistency in sample collection and processing that continues to impede meta-analyses and large-scale comparisons across time and space. This is true for most taxa, including seabirds, which are the most studied megafauna group with regards to plastic ingestion research. Consequently, it is difficult to evaluate the impacts and extent of plastic contamination in seabirds fully and accurately, and to make inferences about species for which we have little or no data. We provide a synthesized set of recommendations specific for seabirds and plastic ingestion studies that include best practices in relation to sample collection, processing, and reporting, as well as highlighting some cross-cutting methods. We include guidance for how carcasses, regurgitations, and pellets should be handled and treated to prevent cross-contamination, and a discussion of what size class of microplastics can be assessed in each sample type. Although we focus on marine bird samples, we also include standardized techniques to remove sediment and biological material that are generalizable to other taxa. Lastly, metrics and data presentation of ingested plastics are briefly reviewed in the context of seabird studies.
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