Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39966432›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Using feral pigeon (Columba livia) to monitor anthropogenic debris in urban areas: a case study in Taiwan's capital city.

Wei-Ting Chen, Wen-Ta Yang, Chia-Ying Ko, Sofia Ya Hsuan Liou, Chia-Hsuan Hsu, Chun-Han Ko, Chung-Hang Hung, Hsiao-Wei Yuan

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Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Wei-Ting ChenSchool of Forestry and Resources Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wen-Ta YangDepartment of Environmental Engineering, National I-Lan University, Yi-Lan, Taiwan.
Chia-Ying KoInstitute of Fisheries Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. cyko235@ntu.edu.tw.
Sofia Ya Hsuan LiouDepartment of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chia-Hsuan HsuBiodiversity Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Chun-Han KoSchool of Forestry and Resources Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chung-Hang HungSchool of Forestry and Resources Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hsiao-Wei YuanSchool of Forestry and Resources Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. hwyuan@ntu.edu.tw.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The terrestrial environment is a significant source of anthropogenic debris emissions. While most studies on anthropogenic debris focus on the marine environment, our research delves into the effects of human activity on anthropogenic debris ingestion by studying the carcasses of feral pigeons. From January to June 2022, we collected the gastrointestinal tracts (GI tracts) of 46 pigeon carcasses in Taipei, Taiwan's capital city. The results revealed that 224 anthropogenic debris samples were found, with the dominant form being fibers (71.9%), which are primarily black (29.9%). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the main component of anthropogenic debris is polyethylene (PE) (20.5%), followed by anthropogenic cellulose (19.2%) and various other plastics. This study revealed that the amount of anthropogenic debris and chemical composition in the GI tract significantly increase with increasing human activity. These results prove that feral pigeons are valuable indicators for monitoring anthropogenic debris pollution in urban ecosystems. On the other hand, past research focused on analyzing microplastics, but we confirmed that the GI tract of pigeons has a high proportion of anthropogenic cellulose. Importantly, future studies should consider the potential impacts of anthropogenic cellulose in terrestrial ecosystems, as this could have significant implications for ecosystem health.

Indexed as

ColumbidaeEnvironmental MonitoringWaste ProductsAnimalsCelluloseCitiesGastrointestinal TractHumansPlasticsSpectroscopy, Fourier Transform InfraredTaiwanCellulosePlasticsWaste ProductsAnthropogenic celluloseBiomonitoringEcotoxicologyEnvironmental pollutionMicroplastics

Identifiers

PMID39966432
PMCPMC11836326

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.