Influence of wintering area on persistent organic pollutants in a breeding migratory seabird

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Ellen Magnusdottir¹  Sandra Ellis¹  Eliza H. K. Leat¹  Sophie Bourgeon¹  Jan Ove Bustnes¹  Richard A. Phillips¹  Aaron T. Fisk¹  W. James Grecian¹  Aevar Petersen¹  Hallvard Str#xf8m¹  Sveinn A. Hanssen¹  Geir W. Gabrielsen¹  Robert W. Furness¹  Katrine Borg#xe5¹  Kristin Olafsdottir¹ 

关键词: Great skua;    Stercorarius skua;    Pesticides;    PCBs;    PBDEs;    Feather stable isotopes;    Geolocation;   

DOI  :  10.3354/meps10455

学科分类：海洋学与技术

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: As apex marine predators, seabirds are often sampled to monitor bioaccumulative persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the marine environment. Despite the restrictions on use and production of many POPs, concern remains about levels of these chemicals present in marine biota due to their potential toxicity. Many seabird species are migratory, and although overwintering area has been hypothesized to affect the accumulation of POPs, few have studied the contribution of exposure in the wintering area on the POP burdens of seabirds. This study investigated the impact of wintering area on concentrations and patterns of organochlorines (OCs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in plasma of breeding great skuas Stercorarius skua from 3 colonies; Bjørnøya (Svalbard), southeast Iceland and Shetland (Scotland). To do so, stable isotope values of primary feathers grown during the winter were used in conjunction with geolocator data (n = 16) to assign untracked individuals (n = 122), to 3 wintering areas (America, Europe and Africa). Birds wintering in Africa had lower plasma concentrations of many OCs and PBDE 47 compared to the other areas. Nevertheless, the influence of wintering area differed between contaminants and between breeding colonies. We conclude that although wintering area had a significant effect on both concentrations and patterns of POPs, its influence was small in comparison to differences in exposure to these pollutants at breeding colonies, but that accumulation of POPs during the winter may be important for specific populations of seabirds.

【 授权许可】

Unknown