Barau's petrel, Pterodroma baraui, as a bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean : a multifaceted approach

2024

Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:001314160300001

Thibault M., Weiss Lisa, Fernandez R., Lebreton L., Garnier J., Jaeger A., Royer S. J., Cartraud A., ter Halle A., Marsaleix P., Chevillon L., Tourmetzj J., Le Corre M.

Marine Environmental Research, 2024, 202, p. 106709 [11 p.] ISSN 0141-1136

Marine plastic pollution is well described by bioindicator species in temperate and polar regions but remains understudied in tropical oceans. We addressed this gap by evaluating the seabird Barau's petrel as bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean. We conducted a multifaceted approach including necropsies of birds to quantify plastic ingestion; GPS tracking of breeding adults to identify their foraging areas; manta trawling of plastic debris to measure plastic pollution at sea and modelling of plastic dispersal. We developed a spatial risk index of seabird exposure to plastic ingestion. Seventy-one percent of the analysed birds had ingested plastic. GPS tracking coupled with manta trawling and dispersal modelling show that adults consistently foraged at places with high level of plastic concentration. The highest ingestion risk occurred in the northwest of Reunion Island and at latitude 30 degrees S. Our findings confirm that Barau's petrel is a reliable bioindicator of plastic pollution in the region.

Sciences fondamentales / Techniques d'analyse et de recherche [020] ; Limnologie biologique / Océanographie biologique [034] ; Pollution [038]

REUNION ; OCEAN INDIEN

Fonds IRD [F B010091324]

fdi:010091324