Microplastics in Seabird Feces from Coastal Areas of Central Chile

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Wildlife species are sentinels that indicate the state of health of ecosystems. One of the main current problems is plastic contamination of aquatic and terrestrial environments, directly or indirectly affecting wildlife and humans by introducing plastic particles into the food chain. In animal feces, it is possible to identify the presence of microplastics as indicators of environmental plastic pollution. This study aimed to determine if there was evidence of the circulation of microplastic in a group of seabirds that entered a wildlife rehabilitation center in Chile. The results indicated the presence of microfibers, giving evidence of plastic pollution. The visibility of the problem will allow the establishment of measures for reducing plastic pollution and surveillance of the marine ecosystem, including the interactions among the different species that comprise it. ABSTRACT: Pollution from plastic waste thrown into the ocean affects all levels of the food chain. Marine species of birds are affected by plastic particles of different sizes, especially the mesoplastics (1 to 10 mm) found in their digestive tract, which mainly cause obstructions. In the case of microplastics (1.000 µm to 1 mm), their presence in the digestive tract of these species has been widely reported. We studied fecal samples of the Dominican gull (Larus dominicanus) (n = 14), Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) (n = 8), and Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) (n = 1) obtained from the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of the Biobío region, Chile. Microfibers of various colors were present in the feces of Dominican gulls and Magellanic penguins, corresponding mainly in composition to polypropylene (PP) (83%) and rayon (77%). These results demonstrate that microplastic particles occur in the coastal environments of central Chile and suggest that they are probably circulating in the food chain.