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Cusset F, Bustamante P, Carravieri A, Bertin C, Brasso R, Corsi I, Dunn M, Emmerson L, Guillou G, Hart T, Juáres M, Kato A, Machado-Gaye AL, Michelot C, Olmastroni S, Polito M, Raclot T, Santos M, Schmidt A, Southwell C, Soutullo A, Takahashi A, Thiebot JB, Trathan P, Vivion P, Waluda C, Fort J, Cherel Y. Circumpolar assessment of mercury contamination: the Adélie penguin as a bioindicator of Antarctic marine ecosystems. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 32:1024-1049. [PMID: 37878111 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02709-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Due to its persistence and potential ecological and health impacts, mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant of major concern that may reach high concentrations even in remote polar oceans. In contrast to the Arctic Ocean, studies documenting Hg contamination in the Southern Ocean are spatially restricted and large-scale monitoring is needed. Here, we present the first circumpolar assessment of Hg contamination in Antarctic marine ecosystems. Specifically, the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) was used as a bioindicator species, to examine regional variation across 24 colonies distributed across the entire Antarctic continent. Mercury was measured on body feathers collected from both adults (n = 485) and chicks (n = 48) between 2005 and 2021. Because penguins' diet represents the dominant source of Hg, feather δ13C and δ15N values were measured as proxies of feeding habitat and trophic position. As expected, chicks had lower Hg concentrations (mean ± SD: 0.22 ± 0.08 μg·g‒1) than adults (0.49 ± 0.23 μg·g‒1), likely because of their shorter bioaccumulation period. In adults, spatial variation in feather Hg concentrations was driven by both trophic ecology and colony location. The highest Hg concentrations were observed in the Ross Sea, possibly because of a higher consumption of fish in the diet compared to other sites (krill-dominated diet). Such large-scale assessments are critical to assess the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Owing to their circumpolar distribution and their ecological role in Antarctic marine ecosystems, Adélie penguins could be valuable bioindicators for tracking spatial and temporal trends of Hg across Antarctic waters in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Cusset
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France.
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Alice Carravieri
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Clément Bertin
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Rebecka Brasso
- Department of Zoology, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, USA
| | - Ilaria Corsi
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | | | - Louise Emmerson
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Antarctic Division, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Gaël Guillou
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Tom Hart
- Department of Biological and Medicinal Sciences, Oxford Brooke University, Oxford, UK
| | - Mariana Juáres
- Departamento Biología de Predadores Tope, Instituto Antártico Argentino, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Akiko Kato
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | | | - Candice Michelot
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
- Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Pêches et Océans Canada, Mont-Joli, QC, Canada
| | - Silvia Olmastroni
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
- Museo Nazionale dell'Antartide, Siena, Italy
| | | | - Thierry Raclot
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, UMR 7178 du CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 67087, Strasbourg, France
| | - Mercedes Santos
- Departamento Biología de Predadores Tope, Instituto Antártico Argentino, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Colin Southwell
- Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australian Antarctic Division, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Alvaro Soutullo
- Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Akinori Takahashi
- National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518, Japan
| | - Jean-Baptiste Thiebot
- National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518, Japan
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Minato-cho 3-1-1, Hakodate, 041-8611, Japan
| | | | - Pierre Vivion
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | | | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en-Bois, France
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Belyaev O, Sparaventi E, Navarro G, Rodríguez-Romero A, Tovar-Sánchez A. The contribution of penguin guano to the Southern Ocean iron pool. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1781. [PMID: 37041162 PMCID: PMC10090129 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37132-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Iron plays a crucial role in the high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll Southern Ocean regions, promoting phytoplankton growth and enhancing atmospheric carbon sequestration. In this area, iron-rich Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and baleen whale species, which are among their main predators, play a large role in the recycling of iron. However, penguins have received limited attention despite their representing the largest seabird biomass in the southern polar region. Here, we use breeding site guano volumes estimated from drone images, deep learning-powered penguin census, and guano chemical composition to assess the iron export to the Antarctic waters from one of the most abundant penguin species, the Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus). Our results show that these seabirds are a relevant contributor to the iron remobilization pool in the Southern Ocean. With an average guano concentration of 3 mg iron g-1, we estimate that the Chinstrap penguin population is recycling 521 tonnes iron yr-1, representing the current iron contribution half of the amount these penguins were able to recycle four decades ago, as they have declined by more than 50% since then.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg Belyaev
- Department of Ecology and Coastal Management, Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain.
| | - Erica Sparaventi
- Department of Ecology and Coastal Management, Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Gabriel Navarro
- Department of Ecology and Coastal Management, Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Araceli Rodríguez-Romero
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Marine Research Institute (INMAR), University of Cádiz, 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Antonio Tovar-Sánchez
- Department of Ecology and Coastal Management, Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 11510, Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
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Are the diets of sympatric Pygoscelid penguins more similar than previously thought? Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03090-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn recent years, functional changes in Southern Ocean are becoming more noticeable, due to climate change and increasing human impacts, including a growing fishery that is concentrating in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) region. Antarctic krill Euphausia superba is often the primary prey species for animals such as Pygoscelis penguins, a sentinel species for ecosystem monitoring and management. During the last two decades in the AP gentoo penguin numbers (Pygoscelis papua) have increased and their range has shifted southward, in contrast to the decline in numbers of Adélie (P. adeliae) and chinstrap (P. antarcticus) penguins. Given divergent population trends, the goal of this study was to examine differences in their diet, and size structure of Antarctic krill recovered from penguin diet samples. The study is based on diet samples collected during the austral summers on King George Island (South Shetland Islands) where P. adeliae, P. antarcticus, and P. papua breed in mixed colonies. Results indicate that the penguins consumed krill of similar sizes during the breeding period. In contrast to prior diet studies, we found higher proportions of krill in the gentoo diet and changes in the percentage of krill in the diet relative obtained during 1970s. The similarity in diets among all three species suggests that the availability prey items (e. g., fishes) may be changing and driving higher dietary overlap. Moreover, we also check differences in krill length among penguin individuals and we did not find any statistically significant differences. We also found plastic debris in penguin stomachs during both summers.
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Bengtson Nash SM, Casa MV, Kawaguchi S, Staniland I, Bjerregaard P. Mercury levels in humpback whales, and other Southern Ocean marine megafauna. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 172:112774. [PMID: 34364143 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mercury is a known potent neurotoxin. The biogeochemical cycle of mercury in the remote Antarctic region is still poorly understood, with Polar climate change contributing added complexity. Longitudinal biomonitoring of mercury accumulation in Antarctic marine megafauna can contribute top-down insight into the bio-physical drivers of wildlife exposure. The bioaccumulative nature of organic mercury renders high trophic predators at the greatest risk of elevated exposure. Humpback whales represent secondary consumers of the Antarctic sea-ice ecosystem and an ideal biomonitoring species for persistent and bioaccumulative compounds due to their extended life-spans. This study provides the first results of mercury accumulation in humpback whales, and places findings within the context of mercury accumulation in both prey, as well as six other species of Antarctic marine megafauna. Combined, these findings contribute new baseline information regarding mercury exposure to Antarctic wildlife, and highlights methodological prerequisites for routine mercury biomonitoring in wildlife via non-lethally biopsied superficial tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M Bengtson Nash
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.
| | - Maria Valeria Casa
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia
| | - So Kawaguchi
- Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, TAS 7050, Australia
| | - Iain Staniland
- British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge CB3 0ET, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Poul Bjerregaard
- Department of Biology, The University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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Hong SY, Gal JK, Lee BY, Son WJ, Jung JW, La HS, Shin KH, Kim JH, Ha SY. Regional Differences in the Diets of Adélie and Emperor Penguins in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11092681. [PMID: 34573647 PMCID: PMC8464710 DOI: 10.3390/ani11092681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Stable isotope analysis (SIA) and Stable isotope analysis in R (SIAR) model were used to identify the diet composition and regional differences of Adélie and Emperor penguins in Ross Sea region. Adélie Penguin at Cape Hallett fed on Antarctic krill and Adélie Penguin at Inexpressible Island fed on ice krill and Antarctic silverfish. Emperor Penguins fed on Antarctic silverfish regardless breeding site. Therefore, Adélie Penguin showed regional difference in the diet and Emperor Penguin showed no regional differences in the diet. These diet composition of penguins is affected by competition and distribution of prey, it is important to study the diet of penguins in relation to the sympathetic food sources needed to understand the changes in energy flows and Ross Sea ecosystems due to climate change. Abstract To identify the dietary composition and characteristics of both Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri) penguins at four breeding sites, we performed stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of down samples taken from penguin chicks. Adélie Penguin chicks at Cape Hallett mostly fed on Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba; 65.5 ± 3.5%), a reflection of the prevalence of that species near Cape Hallett, and no significant differences were noted between 2017 and 2018. However, Adélie Penguin chicks at Inexpressible Island, located near Terra Nova Bay, fed on both Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica; 42.5%) and ice krill (Euphausia crystallorophias; 47%), reflecting the high biomass observed in Terra Nova Bay. Meanwhile, no significant difference was noted between the two breeding sites of the Emperor Penguin. Emperor Penguin chicks predominantly fed on Antarctic silverfish (74.5 ± 2.1%) at both breeding sites (Cape Washington and Coulman Island), suggesting that diet preference represents the main factor influencing Emperor Penguin foraging. In contrast, the diet of the Adélie Penguin reflects presumed regional differences in prey prevalence, as inferred from available survey data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seo-Yeon Hong
- Division of Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon 21990, Korea; (S.-Y.H.); (J.-K.G.); (B.-Y.L.); (W.-J.S.); (H.-S.L.)
- Department of Marine Sciences and Convergence Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Korea;
| | - Jong-Ku Gal
- Division of Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon 21990, Korea; (S.-Y.H.); (J.-K.G.); (B.-Y.L.); (W.-J.S.); (H.-S.L.)
| | - Bo-Yeon Lee
- Division of Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon 21990, Korea; (S.-Y.H.); (J.-K.G.); (B.-Y.L.); (W.-J.S.); (H.-S.L.)
| | - Wu-Ju Son
- Division of Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon 21990, Korea; (S.-Y.H.); (J.-K.G.); (B.-Y.L.); (W.-J.S.); (H.-S.L.)
- Department of Polar Sciences, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Korea
| | - Jin-Woo Jung
- Research Center for Endangered Species, National Institute of Ecology, Yeongyang 36531, Korea;
| | - Hyung-Sul La
- Division of Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon 21990, Korea; (S.-Y.H.); (J.-K.G.); (B.-Y.L.); (W.-J.S.); (H.-S.L.)
| | - Kyung-Hoon Shin
- Department of Marine Sciences and Convergence Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Korea;
| | - Jeong-Hoon Kim
- Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon 21990, Korea
- Correspondence: (J.-H.K.); (S.-Y.H.); Tel.: +82-32-760-5513 (J.-H.K.); +82-32-760-5341 (S.-Y.H.)
| | - Sun-Yong Ha
- Division of Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), Incheon 21990, Korea; (S.-Y.H.); (J.-K.G.); (B.-Y.L.); (W.-J.S.); (H.-S.L.)
- Correspondence: (J.-H.K.); (S.-Y.H.); Tel.: +82-32-760-5513 (J.-H.K.); +82-32-760-5341 (S.-Y.H.)
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