Availability and assessment of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds in Mississippi Gulf Coast tidal marshes

Spencer L Weitzel; Jared M Feura; Scott A Rush; Raymond B Iglay; Mark S Woodrey

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112187

Availability and assessment of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds in Mississippi Gulf Coast tidal marshes

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 May:166:112187. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112187. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Authors

Spencer L Weitzel¹, Jared M Feura², Scott A Rush³, Raymond B Iglay³, Mark S Woodrey⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, 775 Stone Boulevard, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA; Coastal Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, 1815 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi, MS 39532, USA. Electronic address: sw2318@msstate.edu.
² Coastal Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, 1815 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi, MS 39532, USA.
³ Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, 775 Stone Boulevard, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
⁴ Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, 775 Stone Boulevard, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA; Coastal Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, 1815 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi, MS 39532, USA. Electronic address: msw103@msstate.edu.

PMID: 33639379
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112187

Abstract

Millions of tons of plastic enter the environment every year, where much of it concentrates in environmental sinks such as tidal marshes. With prior studies documenting harm to marine fauna caused by this plastic pollution, the need to understand how this novel type of pollution affects estuarine fauna is great. Yet, research on the fate and uptake of plastic pollutants in estuarine ecosystems is sparse. Therefore, we quantified plastic prevalence and ingestion by two species of resident marsh bird, Clapper Rails (Rallus crepitans) and Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima), in coastal marsh ecosystems within Mississippi. We detected microplastics (plastics smaller than 5 mm) in 64% of marsh sediment samples, 83% of Clapper Rail and 69% of Seaside Sparrow proventriculus samples. Dominant types of microplastics detected in sediment and bird samples were fibers. This study provides the first evidence of microplastic ingestion by marsh birds and its distribution in coastal marshes within Mississippi.

Keywords: Clapper Rail; Estuarine; Microfiber; Pollution; Seaside Sparrow; Stomach flushing.

MeSH terms

Animals
Birds
Eating
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Microplastics
Mississippi
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Wetlands*

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical