生物多様性:プラスチック廃棄物の海洋生物による侵入
1British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Council, Cambridge, UK. dkab@bas.ac.uk
Nature
|April 27, 2002
まとめ
人間のゴミは,特に極域では,浮遊するゴミで移動する海洋生物の能力を大幅に増加させます. これは,暖まる海洋が極地生態系を脅かすため,新しい環境に到達する外来種の侵入に関する懸念を高めています.
科学分野:
- マリン・バイオロジー マリン・バイオロジー
- エコロジー エコロジー エコロジー
- 保護科学 保護科学 保護科学
背景:
- 侵入性異種は,地球規模での生物多様性の減少の主な要因である.
- 海洋生物は,自然の漂流の残骸を利用して,海洋に散らばります.
- 人為的なゴミが海洋の分散に及ぼす影響は,十分に理解されていません.
研究 の 目的:
- 海洋生物の植民地化のベクトルとして,人間が生み出したゴミの役割を調査する.
- 漂流破片が異なる緯度における分散の可能性に及ぼす影響を評価する.
主な方法:
- 30の遠隔の島から収集された漂流の残骸で海洋植民を調査した.
- データは北極から南極地域まで収集され,すべての主要な海洋を網羅しています.
- 廃棄物の量と種類,および関連する生物群を分析した.
主要な成果:
- 人間のゴミは,自然のゴミと比較して,海洋生物のラフティングの機会を2倍以上増やす.
- この効果は特に高緯度で顕著です.
- 極地緯度における海面温度上昇は,侵攻のリスクを悪化させる可能性があります.
結論:
- 人為的な海洋ゴミは,生物の侵入を大きく促進する.
- 北極地域は,歴史的な温度障壁にもかかわらず,外来種の導入に対してますます脆弱である.
- 世界の生物多様性を保護するために,海洋汚染の緊急緩和が必要である.
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