title: Young green turtles, Chelonia mydas, exposed to plastic in a frontal area of the SW Atlantic.
abstract: Ingestion of anthropogenic debris represents an important threat to marine turtle populations. Information has been limited to inventories of debris ingested and its consequences, but why ingestion occurs and the conditions that enable it are less understood. Here we report on the occurrence of plastic ingestion in young green turtles (Chelonia mydas) inhabiting the Río de la Plata (SW Atlantic). This estuarine area is characterized by a frontal system that accumulates anthropogenic debris. We explored exposure of green turtles to plastic and its ingestion via debris distribution, habitat use and digestive tract examination. Results indicated that there is considerable overlap of frontal accumulated plastic and core foraging areas of the animals. Exposure results in ingestion, as shown by the high frequency of plastic found in the digestive tracts. The Río de la Plata estuarine front is an area of conservation concern for young green turtles.
authors: Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), CONICET, Paseo Victoria Ocampo s/n, B7602HSA Mar del Plata, Argentina; Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina; Aquamarina, PRICTMA, Argentina. Electronic address: vgcarman@inidep.edu.ar.
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: González Carman
authors: Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), CONICET, Paseo Victoria Ocampo s/n, B7602HSA Mar del Plata, Argentina; Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
authors: E Marcelo
authors: EM
authors: Acha
authors: Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Oceanview Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.
authors: Sara M
authors: SM
authors: Maxwell
authors: Aquamarina, PRICTMA, Argentina; Jardín Zoológico de Buenos Aires, Rep. de la India 3000, C1425ATQ Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: Albareda
authors: Wildlife Conservation Society and CONICET, Amenabar 1595, C1426AJZ Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Campagna
authors: Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), CONICET, Paseo Victoria Ocampo s/n, B7602HSA Mar del Plata, Argentina; Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (IIMyC), CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
authors: Hermes
authors: H
authors: Mianzan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D010969:Plastics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014426:Turtles / Q000378:metabolism*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: Argentina–Uruguay; Habitat degradation; Marine debris; Marine turtles; Pollution; Río de la Plata