Dataset Information

Stomach flushing technique applied to quantify microplastics in Crocodilians.

ABSTRACT: The impact of microplastics on wildlife is a recent problem for which methods to evaluate exposure still need development. Being able to identify and quantify microplastics (particles < 5?mm) in the gastric contents of live crocodiles allows us to evaluate exposure, at both individual and population level, and also its contribution as transporter of other contaminants. The method was validated to determine and quantify microplastics in crocodile stomach contents recovered during an experiment where a known amount of this contaminant was given to crocodiles via oral administration. Through stomach flushing we were able to recover more than 80 % of the total volume of microplastic administrated to each crocodile. In summary, the method used during the experiment consists of 1) immobilization of the crocodile; 2) extraction of microplastics from stomach contents obtained through stomach flushing; 3) separation, identification and quantification of recovered microplastic fragments using microscopy and FTIR. •Low cost method that uses a small number of materials, does not take long to produce results and can easily be performed in the field or the laboratory.•Effective in extracting stomach contents (95 %).•High (>80 %) and good (>60 %) recovery efficiencies within two and four days after ingestion of microplastics by crocodiles.

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez-Jauregui M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6883302 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Stomach flushing technique applied to quantify microplastics in Crocodilians.

Gonzalez-Jauregui Mauricio M Borges-Ramirez Merle M Barão-Nóbrega José António L JAL Escamilla Andrea A Dzul-Caamal Ricardo R Rendón-von Osten Jaime J

MethodsX 20191118

The impact of microplastics on wildlife is a recent problem for which methods to evaluate exposure still need development. Being able to identify and quantify microplastics (particles < 5 mm) in the gastric contents of live crocodiles allows us to evaluate exposure, at both individual and population level, and also its contribution as transporter of other contaminants. The method was validated to determine and quantify microplastics in crocodile stomach contents recovered during an experiment wh ...[more]

PMID: 31799137

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Project description:A number of extant and extinct archosaurs evolved an elongate, narrow rostrum. This longirostrine condition has been associated with a diet comprising a higher proportion of fish and smaller prey items compared to taxa with broader, more robust snouts. The evolution of longirostrine morphology and a bulbous anterior rosette of premaxillary teeth also occurs in the spinosaurid theropod dinosaurs, leading to suggestions that at least some members of this clade also had a diet comprising a notable proportion of fish or other small vertebrates. Here we compare the rostral biomechanics of the spinosaurs Baryonyx walkeri and Spinosaurus c.f. S. aegyptiacus to three extant crocodilians: two longistrine taxa, the African slender-snouted crocodile Mecistops cataphractus and the Indian gharial Gavialis gangeticus; and the American alligator Alligator mississippiensis. Using computed tomography (CT) data, the second moments of area and moments of inertia at successive transverse slices along the rostrum were calculated for each of the species. Size-independent results tested the biomechanical benefits of material distribution within the rostra. The two spinosaur rostra were both digitally reconstructed from CT data and compared against all three crocodilians. Results show that African slender-snouted crocodile skulls are more resistant to bending than an equivalent sized gharial. The alligator has the highest resistances to bending and torsion of the crocodiles for its size and greater than that of the spinosaurs. The spinosaur rostra possess similar resistance to bending and torsion despite their different morphologies. When size is accounted for, B. walkeri performs mechanically differently from the gharial, contradicting previous studies whereas Spinosaurus does not. Biomechanical data support known feeding ecology for both African slender-snouted crocodile and alligator, and suggest that the spinosaurs were not obligate piscivores with diet being determined by individual animal size.

Dataset Information

Stomach flushing technique applied to quantify microplastics in Crocodilians.

Publications

Stomach flushing technique applied to quantify microplastics in Crocodilians.

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