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Michel L, Oró-Nolla B, Dell'Omo G, Quillfeldt P, Lacorte S. Analysis of organochlorines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons designed for pollutant biomonitoring in three seabird matrices. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024:10.1007/s11356-024-34174-0. [PMID: 38980477 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34174-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Pollutant biomonitoring demands analytical methods to cover a wide range of target compounds, work with minimal sample amounts, and apply least invasive and reproducible sampling procedures. We developed a method to analyse 68 bioaccumulative organic pollutants in three seabird matrices: plasma, liver, and stomach oil, representing different exposure phases. Extraction efficiency was assessed based on recoveries of spiked surrogate samples, then the method was applied to environmental samples collected from Scopoli's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea). Extraction was performed in an ultrasonic bath, purification with Florisil cartridges (5 g, 20 mL), and analysis by GC-Orbitrap-MS. Quality controls at 5 ng yielded satisfactory recoveries (80-120%) although signal intensification was found for some compounds. The method permitted the detection of 28 targeted pollutants in the environmental samples. The mean sum of organic pollutants was 4.25 ± 4.83 ng/g in plasma, 1634 ± 2990 ng/g in liver, and 233 ± 111 ng/g in stomach oil (all wet weight). Pollutant profiles varied among the matrices, although 4,4'-DDE was the dominant compound overall. This method is useful for pollutant biomonitoring in seabirds and discusses the interest of analysing different matrices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Michel
- Animal Ecology and Systematics, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Bernat Oró-Nolla
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Petra Quillfeldt
- Animal Ecology and Systematics, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sílvia Lacorte
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
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Olmastroni S, Simonetti S, Fattorini N, D'Amico V, Cusset F, Bustamante P, Cherel Y, Corsi I. Living in a challenging environment: Monitoring stress ecology by non-destructive methods in an Antarctic seabird. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171249. [PMID: 38431169 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
How Antarctic species are facing historical and new stressors remains under-surveyed and risks to wildlife are still largely unknown. Adélie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae are well-known bioindicators and sentinels of Antarctic ecosystem changes, a true canary in the coal mine. Immuno-haematological parameters have been proved to detect stress in wild animals, given their rapid physiological response that allows them tracking environmental changes and thus inferring habitat quality. Here, we investigated variation in Erythrocyte Nuclear Abnormalities (ENAs) and White Blood Cells (WBCs) in penguins from three clustered colonies in the Ross Sea, evaluating immuno-haematological parameters according to geography, breeding stage, and individual penguin characteristics such as sex, body condition and nest quality. Concentrations of mercury (Hg) and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen (as proxies of the penguin's trophic ecology) were analysed in feathers to investigate the association between stress biomarkers and Hg contamination in Adélie penguins. Colony and breeding stage were not supported as predictors of immuno-haematological parameters. ENAs and WBCs were respectively ∼30 % and ∼20 % higher in male than in female penguins. Body condition influenced WBCs, with penguins in the best condition having a ∼22 % higher level of WBCs than those in the worst condition. Nest position affected the proportion of micronuclei (MNs), with inner-nesting penguins having more than three times the proportion of MNs than penguins nesting in peripheral positions. Heterophils:Lymphocytes (H:L) ratio was not affected by any of the above predictors. Multiple factors acting as stressors are expected to increase prominently in Antarctic wildlife in the near future, therefore extensive monitoring aimed to assess the health status of penguin populations is mandatory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Olmastroni
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
| | - Silvia Simonetti
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Niccolò Fattorini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy; National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Verónica D'Amico
- Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), (CCT Centro Nacional Patagónico -CONICET), Brown 2915, U9120ACF, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Fanny Cusset
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 du 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 du 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
| | - Ilaria Corsi
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Harris S, Scioscia G, Raya Rey A. The influence of tourist visitation on the heterophyl to lymphocyte ratios and trophic values of Magellanic penguins ( Spheniscus magellanicus) at Martillo Island, Argentina. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad063. [PMID: 38053739 PMCID: PMC10694407 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife tourism is increasing worldwide and monitoring the impact of tourism on wild populations is of the utmost importance for species conservation. The Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus colony at Martillo Island, Argentina, was studied in the 2016-2020 breeding seasons. In all seasons, adults and chicks belonged to: (i) an area close to or within the tourist trail or (ii) an area far from the tourist trail and out of sight of the tourists. Blood samples were taken for carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition, in order to estimate trophic niches, and for smears that were made in situ and were then stained in the laboratory where leucocyte counts and differentiation were made under optical microscope. Heterophil to lymphocyte ratios were used as proxies of stress. Repeated sampling showed individual stress levels reduced while wintering. In 2017, stress levels and trophic values were lower than 2018 for the same individuals. Trophic levels did not differ between tourism and no tourism areas within each season, and differed between 2017 and the remaining seasons, indicating a possible diet shift that year. Stress levels were higher for the tourism area than the no tourism area for adults and chicks in all years except for 2020, when stress levels in the tourism area were lower and similar to the no tourism area that year and previous years. Vessel transit within the Beagle Channel and tourist visitation to the penguin colony was greatly reduced in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A combination of internal characteristics and external factors may be affecting the stress physiology of individuals. Therefore, future research should include sampling of multiple aspects of penguin physiology, behaviour and environmental context in order to evaluate each effect on Magellanic penguin stress and, ultimately, inform the conservation of this iconic species in time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Harris
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vida silvestre, Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Houssay 200 (9410) Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
- Wildlife Conservation Society representación Argentina, Amenábar 1595 piso 2 oficina 19 (1426) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Scioscia
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vida silvestre, Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Houssay 200 (9410) Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
| | - Andrea Raya Rey
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vida silvestre, Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Houssay 200 (9410) Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
- Wildlife Conservation Society representación Argentina, Amenábar 1595 piso 2 oficina 19 (1426) CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ciencias Polares, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (ICPA), Universidad de Tierra del Fuego (UNTDF), Walanika 250 (9410) Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
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