Barau's petrel, Pterodroma baraui, as a bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean: A multifaceted approach

Marine plastic pollution is well described by bioindicator species in temperate and polar regions but remains understudied in tropical oceans. We addressed this gap by evaluating the seabird Barau's petrel as bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean. We conducted a multi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine environmental research 2024-11, Vol.202, p.106709, Article 106709
Main Authors: Thibault, Margot, Weiss, Lisa, Fernandez, Romain, Avargues, Naïs, Jaquemet, Sébastien, Lebreton, Laurent, Garnier, Juliette, Jaeger, Audrey, Royer, Sarah-Jeanne, Cartraud, Audrey, ter Halle, Alexandra, Marsaleix, Patrick, Chevillon, Leo, Tourmetzj, Julie, Le Corre, Matthieu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barau's petrels
Dispersion model
Manta trawling
Plastic debris
Plastic ingestion
Tracking
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Summary:Marine plastic pollution is well described by bioindicator species in temperate and polar regions but remains understudied in tropical oceans. We addressed this gap by evaluating the seabird Barau's petrel as bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean. We conducted a multifaceted approach including necropsies of birds to quantify plastic ingestion; GPS tracking of breeding adults to identify their foraging areas; manta trawling of plastic debris to measure plastic pollution at sea and modelling of plastic dispersal. We developed a spatial risk index of seabird exposure to plastic ingestion. Seventy-one percent of the analysed birds had ingested plastic. GPS tracking coupled with manta trawling and dispersal modelling show that adults consistently foraged at places with high level of plastic concentration. The highest ingestion risk occurred in the northwest of Reunion Island and at latitude 30°S. Our findings confirm that Barau's petrel is a reliable bioindicator of plastic pollution in the region. [Display omitted] •The FO% of plastic debris by seabirds is >70%.•The gut contents of seabirds are representative of plastic pollution in the SWIO.•NW Reunion Island and latitude 30–33°S have the highest level of plastic ingestion.•Barau's petrel is a good bioindicator of plastic pollution in the SWIO.
ISSN:0141-1136
1879-0291
1879-0291
DOI:10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106709