Affiliation:
1. University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, St. George Campus – 25 Willcocks St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
2. Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, Environment and Climate Change Canada – 867 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
Anthropogenic debris, namely plastic, is a concern across aquatic ecosystems worldwide, with freshwater systems being understudied relative to marine systems. In this study, we quantified and characterized debris in the diet of double-crested cormorant chicks (Phalacrocorax auritus) from three sites in two of the Laurentian Great Lakes to (i) determine whether or not the diet of double-crested cormorants in the Laurentian Great Lakes includes anthropogenic debris, (ii) characterize the size, shape, and type of debris incorporated, and (iii) examine relationships between the amount of debris ingested and their proximity to industrial–urban centres. Overall, >86% of cormorants in our study had anthropogenic debris (mostly fibers) in their digestive tracts with no correlation between site and the amount of debris ingested. The ingested debris includes microplastics, natural fibres from textiles, and other anthropogenic materials (e.g., glass). To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine anthropogenic debris in a diving bird in the Laurentian Great Lakes and one of few studies investigating this in freshwater birds.
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Subject
Aquatic Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
41 articles.
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