A new study shows that persistent pollution creates an “evolutionary trap” for juvenile sea turtles.
The study found plastic in small juvenile turtles on the eastern (Pacific) and western (Indian Ocean) coasts of Australia.
After hatching on the beach, these animals will go upstream and spend their early years in the open ocean.
However, these ocean currents accumulate large amounts of plastic because they forage near the surface and many young turtles swallow it.
Juvenile sea turtles usually don’t have a special diet-they eat everything, and our research shows that this includes plastic
The research team consists of University of Exeter Including Murdoch University, Department of Environment and Science (Queensland) and Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (Western Australia).
Dr. Emily Duncan The head of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the Penryn campus in Exeter, Cornwall, said: “Hatchlings have evolved to develop in the open ocean, where predators are relatively rare.
“However, our results indicate that this evolutionary behavior has now led them into a trap—bringing them into highly polluted areas, such as large The Pacific Ocean Garbage patch.
“Juvenile sea turtles usually don’t have a special diet – they eat everything, and our research shows that this includes plastic.
“We don’t yet know what effect the ingestion of plastic has on young turtles, but any loss in the early stages of life can have a significant impact on population levels.”
Researchers examined juvenile sea turtles — from newly hatched turtles to 50 cm long shells — they were either washed ashore or accidentally caught by fishermen off the coast of Australia.
The study included 121 sea turtles from five of the world’s seven species of sea turtles: green sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, hawksbill turtles, olive sea turtles and flat-back sea turtles.
According to data, the proportion of sea turtles in the Pacific coast containing plastic is much higher, 86% of sea turtles, 83% of green sea turtles, 80% of flatback turtles, and 29% of olive sea turtles.
exist Indian Ocean On the coast, 28% of flatback turtles, 21% of loggerhead turtles, and 9% of green turtles contain plastic.
Although no plastic was found in tortoiseshells on the two coasts, only seven tortoiseshells were found, so the sample size is very small.
Researchers have found that most of the plastic in Pacific sea turtles is hard fragments, which may come from various products used by humans, while most of the plastic in the Indian Ocean is fiber-possibly from fishing ropes or nets.
In these two oceans, the polymers most commonly ingested by sea turtles are polyethylene and polypropylene.
Dr. Duncan said: “These polymers are so widely used in plastic products that it is impossible to determine the possible source of the fragments we found.
“Young turtles usually contain fragments up to 5 to 10 mm long, and the particle size increases with the size of the turtle.
“The next stage of our research is to find out if and how plastic intake affects the health and survival of these turtles.
“This will require close collaboration with researchers and veterinarians around the world.”
The research was funded by the Marine Biology Trust Fund and the National Geographic Society, and was published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
