| Title: | Marine plastic debris emits a keystone infochemical for olfactory foraging seabirds |
| Author(s): | Savoca MS; Wohlfeil ME; Ebeler SE; Nevitt GA; |
| Address: | "Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2375-2548 (Electronic) 2375-2548 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Plastic debris is ingested by hundreds of species of organisms, from zooplankton to baleen whales, but how such a diversity of consumers can mistake plastic for their natural prey is largely unknown. The sensory mechanisms underlying plastic detection and consumption have rarely been examined within the context of sensory signals driving marine food web dynamics. We demonstrate experimentally that marine-seasoned microplastics produce a dimethyl sulfide (DMS) signature that is also a keystone odorant for natural trophic interactions. We further demonstrate a positive relationship between DMS responsiveness and plastic ingestion frequency using procellariiform seabirds as a model taxonomic group. Together, these results suggest that plastic debris emits the scent of a marine infochemical, creating an olfactory trap for susceptible marine wildlife" |
| Keywords: | Animals *Birds *Dimethyl Sulfoxide/adverse effects/chemistry Feeding Behavior/*drug effects Olfactory Perception/*drug effects *Plastics/adverse effects/chemistry *Water Pollutants/adverse effects/chemistry Chemical ecology conservation biology dimethyl s; |
| Notes: | "MedlineSavoca, Matthew S Wohlfeil, Martha E Ebeler, Susan E Nevitt, Gabrielle A eng 2017/09/02 Sci Adv. 2016 Nov 9; 2(11):e1600395. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1600395. eCollection 2016 Nov" |
