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Elliott JE, Kesic R, Lee SL, Elliott KH. Temporal trends (1968-2019) of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in seabird eggs from the northeast Pacific: Is it finally twilight for old POPs? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160084. [PMID: 36368377 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are known to persist in the marine environment; however, whether concentrations of these POPs have decreased or stabilized from Canada's Pacific coast in recent years is unclear. Here, we examined temporal trends of various legacy POPs in the eggs of five seabird species; two cormorants (Nannopterum auritum and Urile pelagicus), an auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata), a murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus), and a storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous), sampled 1968 to 2019 from 23 colonies along the Pacific coast of British Columbia, Canada. The contaminant profile in the eggs of all species and sampling years was dominated by ΣPCBs, followed by ΣDDT (mostly p,p'-DDE), ΣHCH (β-HCH), ΣCHLOR (oxychlordane), and ΣCBz (HCB). ΣOC and ΣPCB concentrations were generally higher in double-crested cormorant eggs than in the other four species. The majority of legacy POPs are either significantly declining (e.g. p,p'-DDE, HCB, HE, oxychlordane, ΣPCBs) or showing no directional change over time (ΣMirex) in the eggs of our monitoring species. Contaminants such as α-HCH, cis- and trans-chlordane, p,p'-DDT, dieldrin, and octachlorostyrene also showed evidence of downward trends, largely influenced by non-detect values during more recent sampling periods. Increasing trends were observed for β-HCH in the eggs of some species; however, mean concentrations eventually returned to early 2000 levels by the end of the study period. Although bulk δ15N and δ13C egg values varied interannually, compound-specific amino acid analyses suggested no major changes in trophic position or baseline food web signature. Temporal trends observed here were comparable to those found in other seabird species and pelagic food webs. As most legacy POPs in our data set were at very low levels in recent years, we support the general consensus that it is indeed the twilight years for old POPs, and we attribute these declines largely to voluntary regulations and international restrictions on the production and use of these compounds, and thus their release into the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Elliott
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ecotoxicology & Wildlife Health Division, 5421 Robertson Rd, Delta, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Robert Kesic
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ecotoxicology & Wildlife Health Division, 5421 Robertson Rd, Delta, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Sandi L Lee
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ecotoxicology & Wildlife Health Division, 5421 Robertson Rd, Delta, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte Anne-de-Bellevue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Tartu S, Blévin P, Bustamante P, Angelier F, Bech C, Bustnes JO, Chierici M, Fransson A, Gabrielsen GW, Goutte A, Moe B, Sauser C, Sire J, Barbraud C, Chastel O. A U-Turn for Mercury Concentrations over 20 Years: How Do Environmental Conditions Affect Exposure in Arctic Seabirds? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:2443-2454. [PMID: 35112833 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c07633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is highly toxic in its methylated form (MeHg), and global change is likely to modify its bioavailability in the environment. However, it is unclear how top predators will be impacted. We studied blood Hg concentrations of chick-rearing black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla (2000-2019) in Svalbard (Norway). From 2000 to 2019, Hg concentrations followed a U-shaped trend. The trophic level, inferred from nitrogen stable isotopes, and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentrations better predicted Hg concentrations, with positive and U-shaped associations, respectively. As strong indicators of primary productivity, Chl a concentrations can influence production of upper trophic levels and, thus, fish community assemblage. In the early 2000s, the high Hg concentrations were likely related to a higher proportion of Arctic prey in kittiwake's diet. The gradual input of Atlantic prey in kittiwake diet could have resulted in a decrease in Hg concentrations until 2013. Then, a new shift in the prey community, added to the shrinking sea ice-associated release of MeHg in the ocean, could explain the increasing trend of Hg observed since 2014. The present monitoring provides critical insights about the exposure of a toxic contaminant in Arctic wildlife, and the reported increase since 2014 raises concern for Arctic seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Tartu
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Pierre Blévin
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
- Fram Centre, Akvaplan-niva AS, Tromsø 9296, Norway
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle 17000, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris 75005, France
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Claus Bech
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim 7491, Norway
| | - Jan Ove Bustnes
- Fram Centre, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Tromsø 9296, Norway
| | - Melissa Chierici
- Fram Centre, Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Tromsø 9296, Norway
| | | | | | - Aurélie Goutte
- EPHE, PSL Research University, UMR 7619 METIS, Paris F-75005, France
| | - Børge Moe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim 7034, Norway
| | - Christophe Sauser
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Julien Sire
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS, La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois 79360, France
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Kesic R, Elliott JE, Fremlin KM, Gauthier L, Drouillard KG, Bishop CA. Continuing Persistence and Biomagnification of DDT and Metabolites in Northern Temperate Fruit Orchard Avian Food Chains. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2021; 40:3379-3391. [PMID: 34559907 PMCID: PMC9299171 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Dichlorodiphenyldichlorethane (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) (DDT) is an organochlorine insecticide that was widely used from the late 1940s to the 1970s in fruit orchards in the Okanagan valley, British Columbia, Canada, and in the process, contaminated American robin (Turdus migratorius) food chains with the parent compound and metabolite dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethylene) (p,p'-DDE). In the present study, we examined the biological fate of these DDT-related (DDT-r) compounds at the same sites/region 26 years after a previous study by: (1) collecting soil, earthworms, and American robin eggs from apple, cherry, and pear orchards; (2) characterizing the diet and trophic positions of our biota using stable isotope analyses of δ13 C and δ15 N; and (3) estimating fugacity, biota-soil-accumulation factors (BSAFs), and biomagnification factors (BMFs). Mean p,p'-DDE concentrations (soil: 16.1 µg/g organic carbon-lipid equivalent; earthworms: 96.5 µg/g lipid equivalent; eggs: 568 µg/g lipid equivalent) revealed that contamination is present at elevated levels similar to the 1990s and our average soil DDE:DDT ratio of 1.42 confirmed that DDT is slowly degrading. American robins appeared to feed at similar trophic levels, but on different earthworms as indicated by egg stable isotope values (mean δ15 N = 8.51‰ ± 0.25; δ13 C = -26.32‰ ± 0.12). Lumbricidae and Aporrectodea worms shared a roughly similar δ15 N value; however, Lumbricus terrestris showed a markedly enriched δ13 C isotope, suggesting differences in organic matter consumption and physiological bioavailability. Biota-soil-accumulation factors and BMFs ranged over several orders of magnitude and were generally >1 and our fugacity analyses suggested that p,p'-DDE is still thermodynamically biomagnifying in American robin food chains. Our results demonstrate that DDT-r in fruit orchards remains bioavailable to free-living terrestrial passerines and may pose a potential toxicological risk. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:3379-3391. © 2021 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Kesic
- Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Wildlife Research DivisionDeltaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - John E. Elliott
- Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Wildlife Research DivisionDeltaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Kate M. Fremlin
- Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Lewis Gauthier
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research CentreOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Kenneth G. Drouillard
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental ResearchUniversity of WindsorWindsorOntarioCanada
| | - Christine A. Bishop
- Department of Biological SciencesSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Wildlife Research DivisionDeltaBritish ColumbiaCanada
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Power A, White P, McHugh B, McGovern E, Murphy S, Berrow S, Schlingermann M, Gately C, Tannian M, Newton S, Crowley D, O'Hea L, Boyle B, O'Connor I. Legacy and emerging contaminants in common guillemot Uria aalge eggs in Ireland and Wales. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 283:131161. [PMID: 34144293 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131161] [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: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Guillemot eggs from multiple Irish colonies and one Welsh colony were analysed for legacy pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other organochlorine compounds (OCs), as well as metals. Stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were measured in eggs to understand the influence of diet on contaminant levels detected. Wide-scope target and suspect screening techniques were used on a single guillemot egg, providing novel information on contaminants of emerging concern. Stable isotope ratio analysis showed that guillemots from Great Saltee Island and Lambay Island (Ireland's east coast) had a similar carbon source (δ13C) and fed at similar trophic levels (δ15N), pollutant levels were higher in eggs from Lambay Island near Dublin, Ireland's industrialised capital city. Guillemot eggs from Aughris Head (Atlantic west coast of Ireland), and Skomer Island (Wales) had differing isotopic niches to other colonies. Egg samples from Aughris Head had the lowest levels of pollutants in this study (with the exception of mercury) and amongst the lowest levels reported worldwide. In contrast, Skomer Island had the highest level of pollutants with higher concentrations of Σ16PCB, Σ6PBDE and HCB than Irish colonies, most likely a result of its proximity to historically industrial areas. Levels of PCBs, p,p' -DDE and mercury in guillemot eggs have decreased over time according to this study, in concurrence with worldwide trends. Levels of pollutants in guillemot eggs, in this study, fall below existing thresholds for adverse effects in other species, with the exception of mercury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Power
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland; Marine Institute, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland.
| | - Philip White
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland
| | | | | | - Sinéad Murphy
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland
| | - Simon Berrow
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland
| | - Moira Schlingermann
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland
| | - Cillian Gately
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland
| | | | | | | | - Linda O'Hea
- Marine Institute, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland
| | - Brian Boyle
- Marine Institute, Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland
| | - Ian O'Connor
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway, Ireland
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Venugopal D, Subramanian M, Rajamani J, Palaniyappan J, Samidurai J, Arumugam A. Levels and distribution pattern of organochlorine pesticide residues in eggs of 22 terrestrial birds from Tamil Nadu, India. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:39253-39264. [PMID: 32642894 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09978-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Long-term monitoring is essential to assess the patterns and distribution of the residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in biota. Bird eggs have several advantages than other environmental matrixes, which have been used extensively to portray the accumulation and distribution of OCPs. The present study investigated the organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues in eggs of 22 species of terrestrial birds collected from Tamil Nadu, India. Eggs found abandoned were collected during nest monitoring between 2001 and 2008 and analyzed for the presence of organochlorine pesticide residues. The results showed that the mean concentrations of total hexachlorohexane (∑HCHs), total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (∑DDTs), heptachlor epoxide, and dieldrin ranged from non-detectable (nd) to 2800 ng/g, nd to1000 ng/g, nd to 700 ng/g, and nd to 240 ng/g on a wet mass (wm) basis, respectively. The variation in magnitude of contamination among the species and feeding guilds were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Among the OCPs analyzed, the residues of β-HCH and p,p'-DDE were found to be the abundant in concentration. Similarly, among various bird species studied, the highest concentrations of ∑OCPs (> 5000 ng/g wm) were recorded in the eggs of gray junglefowl, scaly-breasted munia, and red-whiskered bulbul. This may be due to their widespread occurrence of their habitat at proximity to the agricultural fields, where organochlorines were in use until recently. Among the various contaminants analyzed, concentrations of p,p'-DDE and heptachlor epoxide exceeded the threshold levels of toxicity for wild birds in > 5% of the egg samples. Hence, this study indicates the need for continued monitoring and further systematic ecotoxicological investigation of these compounds not only in eggs but also in other environmental media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhananjayan Venugopal
- ICMR-Regional Occupational Health Centre (Southern), Indian Council of Medical Research, Bangalore, 562110, India.
- Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore, 641108, India.
| | | | - Jayakumar Rajamani
- GITAM University, Bangalore Campus, Nagadenahalli, Bangalore, 561203, India
| | - Jayanthi Palaniyappan
- Department of Environmental Science, Periyar University, Salem, Tamil Nadu, 636011, India
| | - Jayakumar Samidurai
- Department of Zoology & Wildlife Biology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous), Mayiladuthurai, 609305, India
| | - Alaguraj Arumugam
- Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore, 641108, India
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Foster KL, Braune BM, Gaston AJ, Mallory ML. Climate influence on mercury in Arctic seabirds. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 693:133569. [PMID: 31634995 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The historic influence of interannual weather and climate variability on total mercury concentrations (THg) in the eggs of two species of Arctic seabird in the Canadian High Arctic was investigated. Time series of THg in the eggs of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) from Prince Leopold Island span 40 years (1975-2014), making these among the longest time series available for contaminants in Arctic wildlife and uniquely suitable for evaluation of long-term climate and weather influence. We compiled a suite of weather and climate time series reflecting atmospheric (air temperature, wind speed, sea level pressure) and oceanic (sea surface temperature, sea ice cover) conditions, atmosphere-ocean transfer (snow and rain), as well as broad-scale teleconnection indices such as the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). We staggered these to the optimal time lag, then in a tiered approach of successive General Linear Models (GLMs), strategically added them to GLMs to identify possible key predictors and assess any main effects on THg concentrations. We investigated time lags of 0 to 10 years between weather/climate shifts and egg collections. For both fulmars and murres, after time lags of two to seven years, the most parsimonious models included NAO and temperature, and for murres, snowfall, while the fulmar model also included sea ice. Truncated versions of the datasets (2005-2014), reflective of typical time series length for THg in Arctic wildlife, were separately assessed and generally identified similar weather predictors and effects as the full time series, but not for NAO, indicating that longer time series are more effective at elucidating relationships with broad scale climate indices. Overall, the results suggest a significant and larger than expected effect of weather and climate on THg concentrations in Arctic seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Foster
- Karen Foster Environmental Research, Peterborough, ON K9J 8L2, Canada; Applications of Modelling & Quantitative Methods (AMOD), Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Birgit M Braune
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Anthony J Gaston
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Mark L Mallory
- Biology Department, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada.
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Mallory ML, Anderson CM, Braune BM, Pratte I, Provencher JF. Arctic cleansing diet: Sex-specific variation in the rapid elimination of contaminants by the world's champion migrant, the Arctic tern. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 689:716-724. [PMID: 31280153 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Contamination of Arctic marine environments continues to be a concern for wildlife managers. Because the Arctic is a sink for the long-range transport of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), many studies have detected high concentrations of POPs in various Arctic birds. In this study from high Arctic Canada, we show that male Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea), which migrate from the Antarctic to the Arctic annually to breed, decline in concentrations of many hepatic POPs through the breeding season. This suggests that local Arctic food webs are less contaminated than regions where terns fed during or migration, despite that the terns appear to feed at a higher trophic level near their colony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark L Mallory
- Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada.
| | | | - Birgit M Braune
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Raven Road, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Isabeau Pratte
- Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Jennifer F Provencher
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Boulevard Saint-Joseph, Gatineau, QC, CANADA, J8Y 3Z5
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