Global Analysis of Anthropogenic Debris Ingestion by Sea Turtles

Q Schuyler; B D Hardesty; C Wilcox; Kathy A Townsend

doi:10.1111/cobi.12126

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Global Analysis of Anthropogenic Debris Ingestion by Sea Turtles

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Global Analysis of Anthropogenic Debris Ingestion by Sea Turtles

Q Schuyler, B D Hardesty, C Wilcox and Kathy A Townsend

Conservation Biology, Vol.28(1), pp.129-139

2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12126

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Abstract

Caretta caretta

Dermochelys coriacea

Eretmochelys imbricata

garbage

lepidochelys kempii

litter

rubbish

trash

Ingestion of marine debris can have lethal and sublethal effects on sea turtles and other wildlife. Although researchers have reported on ingestion of anthropogenic debris by marine turtles and implied incidences of debris ingestion have increased over time, there has not been a global synthesis of the phenomenon since 1985. Thus, we analyzed 37 studies published from 1985 to 2012 that report on data collected from before 1900 through 2011. Specifically, we investigated whether ingestion prevalence has changed over time, what types of debris are most commonly ingested, the geographic distribution of debris ingestion by marine turtles relative to global debris distribution, and which species and life-history stages are most likely to ingest debris. The probability of green (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) ingesting debris increased significantly over time, and plastic was the most commonly ingested debris. Turtles in nearly all regions studied ingest debris, but the probability of ingestion was not related to modeled debris densities. Furthermore, smaller, oceanic-stage turtles were more likely to ingest debris than coastal foragers, whereas carnivorous species were less likely to ingest debris than herbivores or gelatinovores. Our results indicate oceanic leatherback turtles and green turtles are at the greatest risk of both lethal and sublethal effects from ingested marine debris. To reduce this risk, anthropogenic debris must be managed at a global level. © 2013 The Authors.

Details

Title: Global Analysis of Anthropogenic Debris Ingestion by Sea Turtles
Authors: Q Schuyler (Author) - University of Queensland
B D Hardesty (Author) - CSIRO
C Wilcox (Author) - CSIRO
Kathy A Townsend (Author) - University of Queensland
Publication details: Conservation Biology, Vol.28(1), pp.129-139
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.
Date published: 2014
DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12126
ISSN: 0888-8892
Copyright note: Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., on behalf of the Society for Conservation Biology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450428502621
Output Type: Journal article