ArticleScientific reports2023
Microplastics in gastrointestinal tracts of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks on King George Island, Antarctica.
Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- From Carbon to Plastics: Partitioning of Biogeochemical and Anthropogenic Particles in Penguin Guano.Environmental science & technology · 2026Article
- First evidence of microplastic accumulation in placentas and umbilical cords from pregnancies in Brazil.Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias · 2025Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Microplastics (< 5 mm) have been found in marine ecosystems worldwide, even in Antarctic ecosystems. In this study, the stomach and upper intestines of 14 dead gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) chicks were collected and screened for microplastics on King George Island, a gateway to Antarctic research and tourism. A total of 378 microplastics were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, with 27.0 ± 25.3 microplastics per individual. The detected number of microplastics did not increase with the mass of penguin chicks, suggesting no permanent accumulation of microplastics. However, the concentration of microplastics was much higher (9.1 ± 10.8 microplastics per individual within the size range 100-5000 μm) than the previously reported concentration in the penguin feces, and a greater number of smaller microplastics were found. Marine debris surveys near the breeding colony found various plastic (79.3%) to be the most frequent type of beached debris, suggesting that local sources of marine plastic waste could have contributed to microplastic contamination of penguin chicks being fed by parents that forage in nearby seas. This finding confirms the presence of microplastics in an Antarctic ecosystem and suggests the need for stronger waste management in Antarctica and a standardized scheme of microplastic monitoring in this once-pristine ecosystem.
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Registered trials
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