RT journal article
T1 Biovectoring of plastic by white storks from a landfill to a complex of salt ponds and marshes
A1 Cano-Povedano, Julián
A1 López-Calderón, Cosme
A1 Sánchez, Marta I.
A1 Hortas Rodríguez-Pascual, Francisco
A1 Cañuelo-Jurado, Belén
A1 Martín-Vélez, Víctor
A1 Ros Clemente, Macarena
A1 Cózar Cabañas, Andrés
A1 Green, Andy J.
A2 Biología
K1 Pollution
K1 Ciconia ciconia
K1 Waterbirds
K1 Pellets
K1 Waste dump
K1 Wetlands
AB Research into plastic pollution has extensively focused on abiotic vectors, overlooking transport by animals. Opportunistic birds, such as white storks (Ciconia ciconia) often forage on landfills, where plastic abounds. We assess plastic loading by ingestion and regurgitation of landfill plastic in Cadiz Bay, a major stopover area for migratory white storks in south-west Spain. On average, we counted 599 storks per day moving between a landfill and a complex of salt ponds and marshes, where they regurgitated pellets that each contained a mean of 0.47 g of plastic debris, dominated by polyethylene. Modelling reliant on GPS tracking estimated that 99 kg and >2 million particles of plastic were biovectored into the wetland during 2022, with seasonal peaks that followed migration patterns. GPS data enabled the correction of field censuses and the identification of plastic deposition hotspots. This study highlights the important role that biovectoring plays in plastic transport into coastal wetlands.
PB Elsevier Ltd
SN 1879-3363
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31948
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/31948
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 15-nov-2026