Let’s Start A Conversation ! 💬 #10 – Biological & Ecological News
Video published on my YouTube channel as part of the ‘Let’s Start A Conversation‘ playlist, that shares biological and ecological news in a fun and concise manner.
We are in the Anthropocene and plastic is everywhere. On the ground. In the ground. In our rivers. On our beaches. In the ocean. And even in our plates.
Because plastic is fantastic ! As a material, it is durable, versatile, colourful and can be moulded into absolutely anything. From bottles holding the liquid of life – water, that you should drink more of – to bits and pieces of our favourite toys, to … strange Frankenstein creations … But its qualities are also its flaws when it comes to plastic pollution. Indeed, plastic do not biodegrade as fast as we would like it to.
Marine animals are exponentially impacted by the profusion of plastics in the environment. You all have seen pictures of dead seabirds leaking plastics from their guts, or of seals completely entangled in a fishing net.
But what about the overlooked creepy, alien-looking invertebrates ? Hein ? Today, we are diving into this strange and novel behaviour observed on the beaches of the world : the hermit crab prefers to use a plastic shell, instead of a natural one !
Hungry for more biological and ecological news ? Check the ‘Let’s Start A Conversation‘ playlist on my channel !
🔗 For a deeper dive, here are the sources and references ! Meanwhile, you can :
- Read the scientific article by Zuzanna Jagiello and collaborators, titled ‘The plastic homes of hermit crabs in the Anthropocene‘
F*CK FISH 