Incidence of anthropogenic material in Sula leucogaster nests in a distant archipelago of Brazil. (February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brentano, Renata; de Brum, Antônio Coimbra; Montone, Rosalinda Carmela; Petry, Maria Virginia
• Is Part Of: Marine pollution bulletin. Volume 151(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Subjects: Plastic pollution -- Fishing gear -- Nesting material -- Seabirds -- Sulidae; Marine pollution -- Periodicals; Marine Biology -- Periodicals; Water Pollution -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Périodiques; Publications périodiques; Pollution des mers; Lutte antipollution; Electronic journals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110815
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-326X

Abstract

Abstract: Anthropogenic debris has been affecting fauna in different ways. We investigate the frequency of anthropogenic material in nests of a brown booby ( Sula leucogaster ) colony in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (SPSPA), Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil in February 2015 and November 2016. The items were classified according to type (threadlike plastic, sheet plastics, hard fragments, foamed synthetics and miscellaneous) and color. In 2015, a total of 30 anthropogenic items were found in 20.4% of the nests. In nests containing debris, miscellaneous items were found in 73.6% of nests. White/clear was the most common color, 52.6% of nests containing debris had items of this color. In 2016, 45 anthropogenic items were observed in 13.3% of the nests. Threadlike plastic was found in 59.2% of nests. Blue/purple was the most common color (55.5%). Even far from the Brazilian coast, the S . leucogaster colony has been affected by marine pollution. Highlights: We report the presence of debris in Sula leucogaster nests in Northeast of Brazil. We found marine debris in 20.4 and 13.3% of the nests in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In 2015, the most common color category was white (52.6%) and in 2016, was blue (55.5%). In the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago the incidence of debris is higher than in other oceanic islands.