User:Ossp001/Giant oceanic manta ray

Section I want to add under "Status and Threats" for M. birostris page: Pollution
My potential contribution based on a scientific article detailing a study on microplastics and megafauna:

There is also the threat of microplastics in the diets of M. birostris. A 2019 study in Indonesia’s Coral triangle was performed to determine if the filter-feeding megafauna of the area were accidentally ingesting microplastics, which can be eaten by filter-feeders either directly (by ingesting layers of plastic polymers that float on the surface of the water in feeding areas) or indirectly (by eating plankton that previously ate microplastics). The results of the study provided ample evidence that filter feeders, such as M. birostris, that lived in the area were regularly consuming microplastics. Though it was also proven via stool samples that some of the plastic simply passed through the digestive systems of manta rays, the discovery is a concern because microplastics create sinks for persistent organic pollutants like dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Manta rays that consume microplastics harboring these pollutants can suffer from a variety of health effects that range from short-term negative effects like the reduction of bacteria in their guts, or long-term effects such as pollutant-induced weakening of the population’s reproductive fitness over future generations, which could negatively affect population levels of the rays in the future.

NEW:

In other places, like Ghana, studies of tissue samples from these manta rays also have high levels of cadmium, arsenic, and lead due to bioaccumulation. If manta rays continue to eat phytoplankton that have consumed polluted heavy metals, the species population may get sick from eating too much of them.