Occurrence of microplastic pollution in coastal wetlands—A typical rare wildlife sanctuary in China

Abstract

Coastal wetland ecosystems, located between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, are characterized by rapid material and energy transfer and are significantly affected by marginal oceans. However, there has been little research on the current status of microplastic (MP) pollution in coastal wetlands, especially in some nature reserves. This study sampled two major wetland plants and animals as well as elk feces at 6 stations in the Dafeng Elk National Nature Reserve, China. Chiromantes dehaani exhibited the highest abundance of MPs (13.31 ± 9.15 items/g), and MPs in elk feces showed the lowest abundance (0.21 ± 0.05 items/g). The MPs were dominated by black - gray and white–transparent cellophane fibers. These results show that MPs may pose a serious threat to herbivores because their digestive systems may retain MPs.