Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Among the various forms of pollution, anthropogenic debris has been widely documented to cause entanglement and premature death of sea turtles, in addition to being ingested by these animals. One of the most affected species is the green turtle, which is commonly found along the south-central coast...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Ocean and Coastal Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.usp.br/ocr/article/view/230147 |
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| Summary: | Among the various forms of pollution, anthropogenic debris has been widely documented to cause entanglement
and premature death of sea turtles, in addition to being ingested by these animals. One of the most affected
species is the green turtle, which is commonly found along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), an
area characterized by high human population density. This study aimed to assess the impact of anthropogenic
debris on green turtles by analyzing the gastrointestinal tracts of 66 individuals stranded along the south-central
coast of RJ, as documented by the Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project. Pieces of debris (1,683 in total) were
found in 69.7% of the individuals analyzed, with the highest concentration observed in the large intestine. The
most common types of debris were flexible plastic waste (50.5%; 850 items) and amber/brown debris (36.5%;
614 items) within the size range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 cm (41.2%; 693 items). No significant differences in debris
composition were observed between turtles encountered inside and outside the bays. The substantial number
of individuals with debris in their gastrointestinal tract underscores the severity of the impact of these debris on
sea turtles in this region.
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| ISSN: | 2675-2824 |