The Island Fox Scat Lab Capstone Research Team of CSU Channel Islands has wrapped up lab testing for the semester. Microplastics were discovered as part of the endemic fox’s diet by analyzing scat collected on Santa Cruz Island. Testing scat samples provided a non-invasive glimpse into the anthropogenic effects that are taking place on the island.
In the land of microplastic research, I’m quickly discovering the ups and downs of polymer ID matching. The FTIR machine will provide positive plastic matches using plastic manufacturer absorbance, while Open Specy utilizes an open platform database where the public can contribute absorbances, creating a larger and more diverse plastic database.
In the coming months, I will be working alongside a full team to uncover microplastics ingestion in the Channel Islands Fox sub species endemic to Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands. Partners include:
Long days and late nights in the Microplastics Lab at CSUCI. Constantly fine-tuning our process when it comes to mounting samples to be ready for polymer identification.
Discovering the relationships between microplastic polymers and the island fox diet. Each sample is so different in terms of diet and composition.