The effects of ingested plastic on growth and survival of albatross chicks
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Abstract
We studied the effects of ingested plastic on the growth and survival of chicks of Laysan Albatrosses Diomedea immutabilis and Black-footed albatrosses D. nigripes on Midway Atoll during the nesting seasons of 1986 and 1987. Weights and proventricular contents of the chicks were determined periodically through the nesting cycle. Large (>22 cm1)volumes of plastic were present in the proventriculi of 27% of the Laysan and 16% of the Black-footed albatross chicks examined by endoscopy. Prior to fledging, albatross chicks regurgitated pellets composed of plastic and other indigestible material from their proventriculi. Laysan Albatross chicks with large volumes of proventricular plastic had asymptotic fledging weights significantly lower (122 g) than did chicks with low amounts of plastic. The effect of depresses fledging weights on postfledging survival was not determined. Plastic had no detectable effect on the growth of Black-footed Albatross chicks. All chicks that died were examined by necropsy. Mechanical lesions from ingested plastic were the cause of death of one of 45 Laysan Albatross chicks examined in 1986, but were not the cause of death of 93 individuals examined in 1987. Dehydration was the most common cause of death. In general, ingested plastic was not a significant direct cause of death in nestlings, but there was some evidence that it may have affected survival in 1986, when the volume of plastic ingested was highest.
| Publication type | Book |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference publication |
| Title | The effects of ingested plastic on growth and survival of albatross chicks |
| Year Published | 1993 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Canadian Wildlife Services Special Publications |
| Publisher location | Ottawa, Canada |
| Contributing office(s) | National Wildlife Health Center |
| Description | p. 212-217 |
| Larger Work Type | Report |
| Larger Work Subtype | Other Report |
| Larger Work Title | The Status, Ecology, and Conservation of Marine Birds of the North Pacific |
| First page | 212 |
| Last page | 217 |
| Time Range Start | 1986-01-01 |
| Time Range End | 1987-12-31 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |