Ingestion of anthropogenic debris by migratory barnacle geese Branta leucopsis on a remote north-eastern Atlantic island

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dc.contributor.authorCoughlan, Neil E.
dc.contributor.authorDoyle, Susan
dc.contributor.authorBaker-Arney, Connie
dc.contributor.authorGriffith, Rose M.
dc.contributor.authorLyne, Linda
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Hannah
dc.contributor.authorKelly, Thomas C.
dc.contributor.authorMcMahon, Barry J.
dc.contributor.authorDick, Jaimie T. A.
dc.contributor.authorCunningham, Eoghan M.
dc.contributor.funderQueen's University Belfasten
dc.contributor.funderG. & M. Williams Research Fund, Queen's University Belfasten
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Councilen
dc.date.accessioned2020-09-29T13:02:57Z
dc.date.available2020-09-29T13:02:57Z
dc.date.issued2020-08-24
dc.date.updated2020-09-29T12:46:21Z
dc.description.abstractAlthough seabirds are frequently used as sentinel species for anthropogenic pollution, the extent and impacts of synthetic debris ingestion remains poorly studied for many water bird species. Here, we assess ingestion of synthetic particles (≥0.5 mm) by barnacle geese, Branta leucopsis, wintering on a remote island. Faecal samples were collected over a period of four wintering seasons. In total, 71 individual samples were assessed, with 79% of samples displaying at least one debris particle (maximum lengths 0.5–5 mm) from anthropogenic sources. The recovered synthetic debris were identified as micro-fibres (n = 166) and micro-fragments (n = 165). The number of synthetic particles detected per sample was generally low at 4.7 ± 0.9, 43 (mean ± SE, maximum): micro-fibres 2.3 ± 0.3, 10; micro-fragments 2.3 ± 0.8, 40. Particle numbers detected per gram of faecal sample differed amongst wintering seasons. Our results suggest that non-marine water birds can frequently ingest low quantities of synthetic particles in remote coastal habitats.en
dc.description.sponsorshipQueen's University Belfast (G. & M. Williams Research Fund; Queen's Marin Laboratory)len
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid111588en
dc.identifier.citationCoughlan, N. E., Doyle, S., Baker-Arney, C., Griffith, R. M., Lyne, L., Williams, H., Kelly, T. C., McMahon, B. J., Dick, J. T. A. and Cunningham, E. M. (2020) 'Ingestion of anthropogenic debris by migratory barnacle geese Branta leucopsis on a remote north-eastern Atlantic island', Marine Pollution Bulletin, 160, 111588 (5 pp). doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111588en
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111588en
dc.identifier.endpage5en
dc.identifier.issn0025-326X
dc.identifier.journaltitleMarine Pollution Bulletinen
dc.identifier.startpage1en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/10606
dc.identifier.volume160en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherElsevieren
dc.relation.urihttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X20307062
dc.rights© 2020, Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.en
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en
dc.subjectAnthropoceneen
dc.subjectMicro-fibreen
dc.subjectMicro-fragmenten
dc.subjectPlastic pollutionen
dc.subjectWaterfowlen
dc.subjectWetland birden
dc.titleIngestion of anthropogenic debris by migratory barnacle geese Branta leucopsis on a remote north-eastern Atlantic islanden
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
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