论文标题：A quantitative analysis linking sea turtle mortality and plastic debris ingestion

期刊：Scientific Reports

作者：Chris Wilcox, Melody Puckridge, Qamar A Schuyler, Kathy Townsend & Britta Denise Hardesty

发表时间：2018/09/13

论文标签：10.1038/s41598-018-30038-z

原文链接：https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-30038-z?utm_source=Other_website&utm_medium=Website_links&utm_content=RenLi-MixedBrand-multijournal-Multidisciplinary-China&utm_campaign=ORG_USG_JRCN_RL_article_promotion_sciencenet_Sep_3rd

微信链接：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ksLYVjznY-IGp2G1gNc6gA

根据《科学报告》发表的一项研究A quantitative analysis linking sea turtle mortality and plastic debris ingestion，较年幼的海龟（幼龟和刚孵化的稚龟）死于塑料摄入的风险高于成龟。

图1：在海面游泳的绿海龟。图源：Kathy Townsend

澳大利亚联邦科学与工业研究组织的Britta Denise Hardesty及其同事检视了246只海龟的尸检数据以及来自搁浅数据库的706条尸检记录，发现幼龟比成龟摄入了更多的塑料，而且海龟消化道中的塑料含量因死亡原因而异；因不明原因死亡的海龟摄入的塑料最少，其次是因非塑料相关原因（如船只撞击和溺水）而死亡的，而那些因摄入塑料而死亡的海龟摄入的塑料量最高。23%的幼龟和54%的稚龟摄入了塑料，相比之下，只有15%的亚成龟和16%的成龟摄入了塑料。摄入塑料的数量在1到329件之间，质量最高达10.41克。

图2：海龟和被塑料污染的海水。图源：Kathy Townsend

研究结果表明，进食地点和发育阶段可能会影响海龟的死亡风险；较年幼的海龟倾向于随波漂流、在离岸水域靠近水面的地方进食，而这些海水更容易被塑料物品污染。塑料会在海龟的消化道中积聚，或导致穿孔。

图3：从海龟大肠中取出的塑料。图源：Kathy Townsend

作者发现，描述海龟的塑料摄入量与死亡风险之间关系的最佳模型是将塑料物品的数量相对于龟壳长度以及年龄纳入考虑范围。全球海龟种群规模正在不断下降，特别是在沿海区域，作者的模型代表了量化塑料污染对海龟的风险的第一步。

摘要：Plastic in the marine environment is a growing environmental issue. Sea turtles are at significant risk of ingesting plastic debris at all stages of their lifecycle with potentially lethal consequences. We tested the relationship between the amount of plastic a turtle has ingested and the likelihood of death, treating animals that died of known causes unrelated to plastic ingestion as a statistical control group. We utilized two datasets; one based on necropsies of 246 sea turtles and a second using 706 records extracted from a national strandings database. Animals dying of known causes unrelated to plastic ingestion had less plastic in their gut than those that died of either indeterminate causes or due to plastic ingestion directly (e.g. via gut impaction and perforation). We found a 50% probability of mortality once an animal had 14 pieces of plastic in its gut. Our results provide the critical link between recent estimates of plastic ingestion and the population effects of this environmental threat.

阅读论文全文请访问：https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-30038-z?utm_source=Other_website&utm_medium=Website_links&utm_content=RenLi-MixedBrand-multijournal-Multidisciplinary-China&utm_campaign=ORG_USG_JRCN_RL_article_promotion_sciencenet_Sep_3rd

期刊介绍：Scientific Reports (https://www.nature.com/srep/) is an online, open access journal from the publishers of Nature. We publish scientifically valid primary research from all areas of the natural and clinical sciences.

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（来源：科学网）