Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Among the various forms of pollution, anthropogenic debris has been widely documented to cause entanglement and premature death of sea turtles, in addition to being ingested by these animals. One of the most affected species is the green turtle, which is commonly found along the south-central coast...

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Main Authors: Beatriz Guimarães Gomes, Suzana Machado Guimarães, Alícia Bertoloto Tagliolatto, Estéfane Cardinot Reis, Bruno Pereira Masi, Fábio Vieira de Araújo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo 2024-09-01
Series:Ocean and Coastal Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.usp.br/ocr/article/view/230147
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author Beatriz Guimarães Gomes
Suzana Machado Guimarães
Alícia Bertoloto Tagliolatto
Estéfane Cardinot Reis
Bruno Pereira Masi
Fábio Vieira de Araújo
author_facet Beatriz Guimarães Gomes
Suzana Machado Guimarães
Alícia Bertoloto Tagliolatto
Estéfane Cardinot Reis
Bruno Pereira Masi
Fábio Vieira de Araújo
author_sort Beatriz Guimarães Gomes
collection DOAJ
description Among the various forms of pollution, anthropogenic debris has been widely documented to cause entanglement and premature death of sea turtles, in addition to being ingested by these animals. One of the most affected species is the green turtle, which is commonly found along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), an area characterized by high human population density. This study aimed to assess the impact of anthropogenic debris on green turtles by analyzing the gastrointestinal tracts of 66 individuals stranded along the south-central coast of RJ, as documented by the Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project. Pieces of debris (1,683 in total) were found in 69.7% of the individuals analyzed, with the highest concentration observed in the large intestine. The most common types of debris were flexible plastic waste (50.5%; 850 items) and amber/brown debris (36.5%; 614 items) within the size range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 cm (41.2%; 693 items). No significant differences in debris composition were observed between turtles encountered inside and outside the bays. The substantial number of individuals with debris in their gastrointestinal tract underscores the severity of the impact of these debris on sea turtles in this region.
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issn 2675-2824
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publisher Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo
record_format Article
series Ocean and Coastal Research
spelling doaj-art-61e1ea3e978d4b22ab02813fbbcb8a142025-08-20T03:13:44ZengInstituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São PauloOcean and Coastal Research2675-28242024-09-017210.1590/2675-2824072.23086Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, BrazilBeatriz Guimarães GomesSuzana Machado GuimarãesAlícia Bertoloto TagliolattoEstéfane Cardinot ReisBruno Pereira MasiFábio Vieira de Araújo Among the various forms of pollution, anthropogenic debris has been widely documented to cause entanglement and premature death of sea turtles, in addition to being ingested by these animals. One of the most affected species is the green turtle, which is commonly found along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), an area characterized by high human population density. This study aimed to assess the impact of anthropogenic debris on green turtles by analyzing the gastrointestinal tracts of 66 individuals stranded along the south-central coast of RJ, as documented by the Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project. Pieces of debris (1,683 in total) were found in 69.7% of the individuals analyzed, with the highest concentration observed in the large intestine. The most common types of debris were flexible plastic waste (50.5%; 850 items) and amber/brown debris (36.5%; 614 items) within the size range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 cm (41.2%; 693 items). No significant differences in debris composition were observed between turtles encountered inside and outside the bays. The substantial number of individuals with debris in their gastrointestinal tract underscores the severity of the impact of these debris on sea turtles in this region. https://journals.usp.br/ocr/article/view/230147Bays, Chelonia mydasMarine debrisPlasticPollution
spellingShingle Beatriz Guimarães Gomes
Suzana Machado Guimarães
Alícia Bertoloto Tagliolatto
Estéfane Cardinot Reis
Bruno Pereira Masi
Fábio Vieira de Araújo
Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ocean and Coastal Research
Bays
, Chelonia mydas
Marine debris
Plastic
Pollution
title Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
title_full Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
title_fullStr Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
title_short Assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
title_sort assessment of the ingestion of anthropogenic debris by green turtles along the south central coast of rio de janeiro brazil
topic Bays
, Chelonia mydas
Marine debris
Plastic
Pollution
url https://journals.usp.br/ocr/article/view/230147
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