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Field measurements reveal exposure risk to microplastic ingestion by filter-feeding megafauna

Author

Listed:
  • S. R. Kahane-Rapport

    (California State University, Fullerton
    Stanford University)

  • M. F. Czapanskiy

    (Stanford University)

  • J. A. Fahlbusch

    (Stanford University
    Cascadia Research Collective)

  • A. S. Friedlaender

    (University of California, Santa Cruz)

  • J. Calambokidis

    (Cascadia Research Collective)

  • E. L. Hazen

    (Stanford University
    University of California, Santa Cruz
    NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center)

  • J. A. Goldbogen

    (Stanford University)

  • M. S. Savoca

    (Stanford University)

Abstract

Microparticles, such as microplastics and microfibers, are ubiquitous in marine food webs. Filter-feeding megafauna may be at extreme risk of exposure to microplastics, but neither the amount nor pathway of microplastic ingestion are well understood. Here, we combine depth-integrated microplastic data from the California Current Ecosystem with high-resolution foraging measurements from 191 tag deployments on blue, fin, and humpback whales to quantify plastic ingestion rates and routes of exposure. We find that baleen whales predominantly feed at depths of 50–250 m, coinciding with the highest measured microplastic concentrations in the pelagic ecosystem. Nearly all (99%) microplastic ingestion is predicted to occur via trophic transfer. We predict that fish-feeding whales are less exposed to microplastic ingestion than krill-feeding whales. Per day, a krill-obligate blue whale may ingest 10 million pieces of microplastic, while a fish-feeding humpback whale likely ingests 200,000 pieces of microplastic. For species struggling to recover from historical whaling alongside other anthropogenic pressures, our findings suggest that the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors require further attention.

Suggested Citation

  • S. R. Kahane-Rapport & M. F. Czapanskiy & J. A. Fahlbusch & A. S. Friedlaender & J. Calambokidis & E. L. Hazen & J. A. Goldbogen & M. S. Savoca, 2022. "Field measurements reveal exposure risk to microplastic ingestion by filter-feeding megafauna," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-33334-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33334-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthew S. Savoca & Max F. Czapanskiy & Shirel R. Kahane-Rapport & William T. Gough & James A. Fahlbusch & K. C. Bierlich & Paolo S. Segre & Jacopo Clemente & Gwenith S. Penry & David N. Wiley & John , 2021. "Baleen whale prey consumption based on high-resolution foraging measurements," Nature, Nature, vol. 599(7883), pages 85-90, November.
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    3. David W. Sims & Victoria A. Quayle, 1998. "Selective foraging behaviour of basking sharks on zooplankton in a small-scale front," Nature, Nature, vol. 393(6684), pages 460-464, June.
    4. Katsiaryna Pabortsava & Richard S. Lampitt, 2020. "High concentrations of plastic hidden beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
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