Publications
Our publications cover topics including impacts of plastic pollution on plants, animals, and aquatic environments, and biology and ecology of seabirds.
On Lord Howe Island, we measured Flesh-footed Shearwater fledglings in the colony and adjacent beaches to determine how body condition changed during 2010–2022. Overall, we found chick body mass as well as wing, culmen, and head + bill length declined over time with larger declines observed in beach-washed birds. Culmen and head + bill length declined by 0.17 and 0.23 mm/year, respectively, and body mass by 16.1 g/year. The number of chicks fledging at <400 g has increased sharply in recent years, meaning significant numbers of birds are unlikely to survive after departing the island. Publication Details »
Plastic presence in shearwaters from Lord Howe Island was associated with widespread scar tissue formation and extensive changes to, and even loss of, tissue structure. Additionally, despite naturally occurring pumice also being found in the gastrointestinal tract, this did not cause similar scarring. This highlights the unique pathological properties of plastics and raises concerns for other species impacted by plastic ingestion. Further, the extent and severity of fibrosis documented in this study gives support for a novel, plastic-induced fibrotic disease, which we define as ‘Plasticosis,’. Publication Details »
For wildlife, the mass and number of ingested plastics are widely reported, but these are not without their challenges, especially in field settings. Rapid methods for estimating the mass of ingested plastic could therefore be useful, but the relationship with the number of ingested pieces has not been explored. Publication Details »
Coastlines, including estuaries, mudflats, and beaches, are particularly susceptible to plastic pollution, which can accumulate from both marine and terrestrial sources. Here, we quantified small plastics (200 nm–70 μm) in two resident shorebird species (Pied Oystercatcher & Hooded Plover) in Tasmania, and compared this to quantities found in the surrounding sediments in order to investigate the potential exposure and transfer of particles within these ecosystems. Publication Details »
Plastic ingestion has been documented in a plethora of taxa. However, there is a significant gap in the detection of tiny particles (invisible to the naked eye) due to size limitations of commonly used techniques. Using two Australian seabird species as case studies, we tested a novel approach of flow cytometry to quantify ingested nanoplastics (<70 μm) in shearwater guano. Publication Details »