Current levels of microplastic pollution impact wild seabird gut microbiomes.
Nat Ecol Evol
; 7(5): 698-706, 2023 05.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36973353
ABSTRACT
Microplastics contaminate environments worldwide and are ingested by numerous species, whose health is affected in multiple ways. A key dimension of health that may be affected is the gut microbiome, but these effects are relatively unexplored. Here, we investigated if microplastics are associated with changes in proventricular and cloacal microbiomes in two seabird species that chronically ingest microplastics northern fulmars and Cory's shearwaters. The amount of microplastics in the gut was significantly correlated with gut microbial diversity and composition microplastics were associated with decreases in commensal microbiota and increases in (zoonotic) pathogens and antibiotic-resistant and plastic-degrading microbes. These results illustrate that environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations and mixtures are associated with changes in gut microbiomes in wild seabirds.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Microbiota
/
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Nat Ecol Evol
Year:
2023
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Germany
Publication country:
ENGLAND
/
ESCOCIA
/
GB
/
GREAT BRITAIN
/
INGLATERRA
/
REINO UNIDO
/
SCOTLAND
/
UK
/
UNITED KINGDOM