Nature Ecology & Evolution · 7 authors, 5 centres
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This field-based observational study found that the amount of microplastics in the gut of two seabird species was significantly correlated with changes in gut microbial diversity and composition, including decreases in commensal microbes and increases in pathogens.
This preclinical, field-based observational study investigated associations between microplastic ingestion and the gut microbiomes of two wild seabird species, northern fulmars and Cory’s shearwaters. Researchers analyzed microplastic counts and mass in proventricular and cloacal samples and correlated them with microbial alpha diversity metrics (e.g., observed ASVs, Shannon index) and beta diversity (compositional changes). The central finding was that microplastic count was significantly positively correlated with alpha diversity in the proventriculus, while microplastic mass was significantly negatively correlated. The effects were more pronounced in the proventriculus than the cloaca. Limitations include the correlative nature of the study, which cannot establish causation, and the focus on two specific seabird species. Implications suggest microplastic ingestion is associated with environmentally relevant shifts in wild animal gut microbiomes, potentially acting as vectors for foreign microbes.
