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There are no good times for sea turtles. Although they have been swimming on Earth's oceans for at least 100 million years and a specimen can reach a century of life, they are among the animals most affected by climate change and the acidification of the oceans, their shells and other parts of their bodies reach high prices in the illegal species market and the accumulation of plastic is causing the death of many of them by choking or because they are entangled.
Biologists often encounter specimens that have ingested large amounts of plastic. Until now it was thought that they ate them by confusing them with prey, especially jellyfish . But a new study published on Monday reveals that not only their shape attracts them: sea turtles are hooked both by the smell of plastics that float or are submerged in the ocean and that of authentic food.
" We think that the same happens to other species. We do not believe that it is limited to sea turtles, " Karen Anne Bjorndal, director of the Archie Carr Sea Turtle Research Center at the University of Florida, tells El Mundo.
Experiment in a pool
The results of this new research, published in the journal Current Biology, are based on an experiment conducted in a small laboratory pool with loggerhead turtles ( Caretta caretta ), also known as big-headed turtle.
They used 15 young specimens , which they had fed in captivity for five months. Through pipettes, they exposed the turtles to different scents and videotaped their reactions.
The tests were made with the smell of purified water (deionized), clean plastic, turtle food (such as fish and shrimp) and plastic that has been in the water for a while (and that is covered with microbes, algae, plants and small animals ). During the experiment, the animals did not ingest any type of plastic and after the study they were taken to the ocean.
"We have discovered that loggerhead turtles respond to the smells of plastics in the same way that they respond to the smells of food, suggesting that they are attracted to plastic waste not only because of its shape, but because of how they smell", Josep Pfaller, a researcher at the University of Florida and co-author of the study, explains in a statement, admitting that this turtle response surprised them , as they expected them to feel a greater attraction for food.
The olfactory trap
"The olfactory trap could help explain why sea turtles ingest and get trapped in plastic so often," Pfaller adds.
For Kenneth J. Lohmann of the University of North Carolina, this result is important because it is the first demonstration that the smell of plastics encourages animals to eat them. As the researcher recalls, "it is common to find loggerhead turtles with their digestive system full or partially blocked because they have ingested plastic materials. Cases of sea turtles that become ill or are stranded on the beach due to this intake have also increased."
Scientists have shown that plastic accumulates both on the surface and in the water column, where it goes as it degrades. "Younger turtles usually eat plastics that float on the surface, while older turtles dive deeper, sometimes to the bottom of the sea. So regardless of where plastics accumulate, turtles are likely eat them, "says Kayla M. Goforth of the University of North Carolina.
As Bjorndal states, " many species eat plastic . In oceanic habitats, fish, seabirds and other mammals are very affected by this problem." And the only way to alleviate it, the study authors point out, is to prevent them from reaching the sea.
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