Highly migratory pelagic sharks have the potential to serve as carriers of particle contamination in a vast three-dimensional space. We investigate the occurrence, abundance and characteristics of plastic and non-plastic particles in the scroll intestine of the blue shark (Prionace glauca), one of the most abundant pelagic shark species worldwide. We detected both plastic and non-plastic particles in all sections of the intestine, with the posterior region exhibiting the highest concentration. We estimated that individual intestine may contained 11.21 ± 9.62 and 48.00 ± 23.90 plastic or non-plastic particles, respectively. Fibers dominated particle morphology (95.58%), primarily composed of plastic polymers (polyester and polyethylene terephthalate) (plastic) and non-plastic material (rayon and cotton). Given their size range (102.08-8113.54 μm), these particles are likely to be released into the water column through excretion. The intestine of P. glauca may act as a temporary particle sink, a phenomenon potentially common among pelagic sharks worldwide. This study provides new insights for the role of highly migratory fish species in the transport and distribution dynamics of marine particle contamination.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.106971 | DOI Listing |
Mar Environ Res
January 2025
College of Marine Living Resource Sciences and Management, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China.
Highly migratory pelagic sharks have the potential to serve as carriers of particle contamination in a vast three-dimensional space. We investigate the occurrence, abundance and characteristics of plastic and non-plastic particles in the scroll intestine of the blue shark (Prionace glauca), one of the most abundant pelagic shark species worldwide. We detected both plastic and non-plastic particles in all sections of the intestine, with the posterior region exhibiting the highest concentration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Res
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of China, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China.
Plastic waste that ends up in the deep sea is becoming an increasing concern. However, it remains unclear whether there is any microflora capable of degrading plastic within this vast ecosystem. In this study, we investigated the bacterial communities associated with different types of plastic-polyamide-nylon 4, 6 (PA), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS)-after one year of in situ incubation in the pelagic deep sea of the Western Pacific.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg
November 2024
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Chang Gung Medical College and Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Electronic address:
Background: The pectoralis major myocutaneous pedicled (PMMP) flap is still considered by many a workhorse flap in head and neck (H&N) reconstruction, despite free flap surgery advancing. The authors aimed to examine this claim and associated myths and controversies by analyzing literature trends and revealing the role of the PMMP flap in a well-established microsurgery center.
Methods: The senior author's reconstructive H&N practice between 1995 and 2022 was reviewed to describe and critically judge primary and secondary PMMP flap decisions to provide invaluable lessons learned and debunk common controversies related to complex H&N reconstruction.
J Ind Ecol
December 2024
Group for Sustainability and Technology ETH Zurich Zurich Switzerland.
To fight plastic pollution and reach net-zero ambitions, policy and industry set goals to increase the recycling of plastics and the recycled content in products. While this ideally reduces demand for virgin material, it also increases pressure on recyclers to find suitable endmarkets for the recyclate. This may lead to two effects: a multiplication of recycled content in applications already made of plastic and a substitution of non-plastic materials with cheap, low-quality recyclate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
January 2025
Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioanalysis (LABB), Department of Biological Chemistry, IQUIBICEN, University of Buenos Aires and CONICET, CABA, Argentina.
Microplastics (MPs) are in some ways the expected product of man-made plastics that are considered as a pollutant ubiquitous in the environment. This is particularly notorious in continental waters, along coastlines, and especially in the North Pacific Gyre, sometimes called the Pacific Garbage Patch. Even now, there is growing concern that MPs can harm wildlife, enter the food chain, and end up in the human body.
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