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Abstract
The measurement of naturally occurring stable isotope ratios of the light elements (C, N, H, O, S) in animal tissues and associated organic and inorganic fractions of associated environments holds immense potential as a means of addressing effects of global change on animals. This paper provides a brief review of studies that have used the isotope approach to evaluate changes in diet, isotopic niche, contaminant burden, reproductive and nutritional investment, invasive species and shifts in migration origin or destination with clear links to evaluating effects of global change. This field has now reached a level of maturity that is impressive but generally underappreciated and involves technical as well as statistical advances and access to freely available R-based packages. There is a need for animal ecologists and conservationists to design tissue collection networks that will best answer current and anticipated questions related to the global change and the biodiversity crisis. These developments will move the field of stable isotope ecology toward a more hypothesis driven discipline related to rapidly changing global events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith A Hobson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 0X4, Canada.
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada.
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2
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Médieu A, Lorrain A, Point D. Are tunas relevant bioindicators of mercury concentrations in the global ocean? ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 32:994-1009. [PMID: 37328690 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02679-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Humans are exposed to toxic methylmercury mainly by consuming marine fish. The Minamata Convention aims at reducing anthropogenic mercury releases to protect human and ecosystem health, employing monitoring programs to meet its objectives. Tunas are suspected to be sentinels of mercury exposure in the ocean, though not evidenced yet. Here, we conducted a literature review of mercury concentrations in tropical tunas (bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack) and albacore, the four most exploited tunas worldwide. Strong spatial patterns of tuna mercury concentrations were shown, mainly explained by fish size, and methylmercury bioavailability in marine food web, suggesting that tunas reflect spatial trends of mercury exposure in their ecosystem. The few mercury long-term trends in tunas were contrasted and sometimes disconnected to estimated regional changes in atmospheric emissions and deposition, highlighting potential confounding effects of legacy mercury, and complex reactions governing the fate of mercury in the ocean. Inter-species differences of tuna mercury concentrations associated with their distinct ecology suggest that tropical tunas and albacore could be used complementarily to assess the vertical and horizontal variability of methylmercury in the ocean. Overall, this review elevates tunas as relevant bioindicators for the Minamata Convention, and calls for large-scale and continuous mercury measurements within the international community. We provide guidelines for tuna sample collection, preparation, analyses and data standardization with recommended transdisciplinary approaches to explore tuna mercury content in parallel with observation abiotic data, and biogeochemical model outputs. Such global and transdisciplinary biomonitoring is essential to explore the complex mechanisms of the marine methylmercury cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Médieu
- IRD, Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, UMR 6539, LEMAR, Plouzané, France.
| | - Anne Lorrain
- IRD, Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, UMR 6539, LEMAR, Plouzané, France
| | - David Point
- Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, GET, UMR CNRS 5563/IRD 234, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
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3
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Cusset F, Reynolds SJ, Carravieri A, Amouroux D, Asensio O, Dickey RC, Fort J, Hughes BJ, Paiva VH, Ramos JA, Shearer L, Tessier E, Wearn CP, Cherel Y, Bustamante P. A century of mercury: Ecosystem-wide changes drive increasing contamination of a tropical seabird species in the South Atlantic Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 323:121187. [PMID: 36736563 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic metal that adversely impacts human and wildlife health. The amount of Hg released globally in the environment has increased steadily since the Industrial Revolution, resulting in growing contamination in biota. Seabirds have been extensively studied to monitor Hg contamination in the world's oceans. Multidecadal increases in seabird Hg contamination have been documented in polar, temperate and subtropical regions, whereas in tropical regions they are largely unknown. Since seabirds accumulate Hg mainly from their diet, their trophic ecology is fundamental in understanding their Hg exposure over time. Here, we used the sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), the most abundant tropical seabird, as bioindicator of temporal variations in Hg transfer to marine predators in tropical ecosystems, in response to trophic changes and other potential drivers. Body feathers were sampled from 220 sooty terns, from museum specimens (n = 134) and free-living birds (n = 86) from Ascension Island, in the South Atlantic Ocean, over 145 years (1876-2021). Chemical analyses included (i) total- and methyl-Hg, and (ii) carbon (δ1³C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes, as proxies of foraging habitat and trophic position, respectively, to investigate the relationship between trophic ecology and Hg contamination over time. Despite current regulations on its global emissions, mean Hg concentrations were 58.9% higher in the 2020s (2.0 μg g-1, n = 34) than in the 1920s (1.2 μg g-1, n = 107). Feather Hg concentrations were negatively and positively associated with δ1³C and δ15N values, respectively. The sharp decline of 2.9 ‰ in δ1³C values over time indicates ecosystem-wide changes (shifting primary productivity) in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean and can help explain the observed increase in terns' feather Hg concentrations. Overall, this study provides invaluable information on how ecosystem-wide changes can increase Hg contamination of tropical marine predators and reinforces the need for long-term regulations of harmful contaminants at the global scale.
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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 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en Bois, France.
| | - S James Reynolds
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK; Army Ornithological Society (AOS), c/o Prince Consort Library, Knollys Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
| | - 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 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en Bois, France
| | - David Amouroux
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), UMR, 5254, CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Pau, France
| | - Océane Asensio
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), UMR, 5254, CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Pau, France
| | - Roger C Dickey
- Army Ornithological Society (AOS), c/o Prince Consort Library, Knollys Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - B John Hughes
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK; Army Ornithological Society (AOS), c/o Prince Consort Library, Knollys Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
| | - Vitor H Paiva
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jaime A Ramos
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Laura Shearer
- Ascension Island Government Conservation and Fisheries Directorate (AIGCFD), Georgetown, Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, UK
| | - Emmanuel Tessier
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), UMR, 5254, CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Pau, France
| | - Colin P Wearn
- The Royal Air Force Ornithological Society (RAFOS), High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK
| | - Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 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
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4
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Pollet IL, McFarlane-Tranquilla L, Burgess NM, Diamond AW, Gjerdrum C, Hedd A, Hoeg R, Jones PL, Mauck RA, Montevecchi WA, Pratte I, Ronconi RA, Shutler D, Wilhelm SI, Mallory ML. Factors influencing mercury levels in Leach's storm-petrels at northwest Atlantic colonies. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160464. [PMID: 36427741 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160464] [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: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed heavy metal, with negative effects on wildlife. Its most toxic form, methylmercury (MeHg), predominates in aquatic systems. Levels of MeHg in marine predators can vary widely among individuals and populations. Leach's storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous) have elevated levels of Hg but the role of Hg in storm-petrel population declines is unknown. In this study, we used egg and blood samples to study variation in Hg exposure among several northwest Atlantic colonies during breeding seasons, thereby evaluating relative toxicity risk within and among colonies. Total mercury (THg) concentrations were higher with increasing colony latitude, and were more pronounced in blood than in eggs. THg concentrations in blood were mostly associated with low toxicity risk in birds from the southern colonies and moderate risks in birds from the northern colonies; however, those values did not affect hatching or fledging success. THg concentrations in both eggs and blood were positively correlated with δ34S, emphasizing the role of sulfate-reducing bacteria in methylation of THg acquired through marine food webs, which is consistent with enriched δ34S profiles. By associating tracking data from foraging trips with THg from blood, we determined that blood THg levels were higher when storm-petrel's intensive search locations were over deeper waters. We conclude that spatial variation in THg concentrations in Leach's storm-petrels is attributable to differences in ocean depth at foraging locations, both at individual and colony levels. Differences in diet among colonies observed previously are the most likely cause for observed blood THg differences. As one of the few pelagic seabird species breeding in Atlantic Canada, with limited overlap in core foraging areas among colonies, Leach's storm-petrels can be used as biomonitors for less sampled offshore pelagic regions. The global trend in Hg emissions combined with legacy levels warrant continued monitoring for toxicity effects in seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid L Pollet
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada; Birds Canada, PO Box 6436, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1G6, Canada.
| | | | - Neil M Burgess
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Antony W Diamond
- Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Carina Gjerdrum
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 45 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6, Canada
| | - April Hedd
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Rielle Hoeg
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada; Birds Canada, PO Box 6436, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1G6, Canada
| | | | | | - William A Montevecchi
- Psychology Department, Memorial University, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1C 3C9, Canada
| | - Isabeau Pratte
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 45 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6, Canada
| | - Robert A Ronconi
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 45 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6, Canada
| | - Dave Shutler
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Sabina I Wilhelm
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Mark L Mallory
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada
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5
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Chastel O, Fort J, Ackerman JT, Albert C, Angelier F, Basu N, Blévin P, Brault-Favrou M, Bustnes JO, Bustamante P, Danielsen J, Descamps S, Dietz R, Erikstad KE, Eulaers I, Ezhov A, Fleishman AB, Gabrielsen GW, Gavrilo M, Gilchrist G, Gilg O, Gíslason S, Golubova E, Goutte A, Grémillet D, Hallgrimsson GT, Hansen ES, Hanssen SA, Hatch S, Huffeldt NP, Jakubas D, Jónsson JE, Kitaysky AS, Kolbeinsson Y, Krasnov Y, Letcher RJ, Linnebjerg JF, Mallory M, Merkel FR, Moe B, Montevecchi WJ, Mosbech A, Olsen B, Orben RA, Provencher JF, Ragnarsdottir SB, Reiertsen TK, Rojek N, Romano M, Søndergaard J, Strøm H, Takahashi A, Tartu S, Thórarinsson TL, Thiebot JB, Will AP, Wilson S, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K, Yannic G. Mercury contamination and potential health risks to Arctic seabirds and shorebirds. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 844:156944. [PMID: 35752241 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of mercury (Hg) on Arctic biota in 2011 and 2018, there has been a considerable number of new Arctic bird studies. This review article provides contemporary Hg exposure and potential health risk for 36 Arctic seabird and shorebird species, representing a larger portion of the Arctic than during previous AMAP assessments now also including parts of the Russian Arctic. To assess risk to birds, we used Hg toxicity benchmarks established for blood and converted to egg, liver, and feather tissues. Several Arctic seabird populations showed Hg concentrations that exceeded toxicity benchmarks, with 50 % of individual birds exceeding the "no adverse health effect" level. In particular, 5 % of all studied birds were considered to be at moderate or higher risk to Hg toxicity. However, most seabirds (95 %) were generally at lower risk to Hg toxicity. The highest Hg contamination was observed in seabirds breeding in the western Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Most Arctic shorebirds exhibited low Hg concentrations, with approximately 45 % of individuals categorized at no risk, 2.5 % at high risk category, and no individual at severe risk. Although the majority Arctic-breeding seabirds and shorebirds appeared at lower risk to Hg toxicity, recent studies have reported deleterious effects of Hg on some pituitary hormones, genotoxicity, and reproductive performance. Adult survival appeared unaffected by Hg exposure, although long-term banding studies incorporating Hg are still limited. Although Hg contamination across the Arctic is considered low for most bird species, Hg in combination with other stressors, including other contaminants, diseases, parasites, and climate change, may still cause adverse effects. Future investigations on the global impact of Hg on Arctic birds should be conducted within a multi-stressor framework. This information helps to address Article 22 (Effectiveness Evaluation) of the Minamata Convention on Mercury as a global pollutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS- La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
| | - Joshua T Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620, United States.
| | - Céline Albert
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS- La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Niladri Basu
- McGill University, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Montreal, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
| | | | - Maud Brault-Favrou
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Jan Ove Bustnes
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, FRAM Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 17000 La Rochelle, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 75005 Paris, France
| | | | | | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Igor Eulaers
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram center, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Alexey Ezhov
- Murmansk Marine Biological Institute Russian Academy of Science, 183010 Vladimirskaya str. 17 Murmansk, Russia
| | - Abram B Fleishman
- Conservation Metrics, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
| | | | - Maria Gavrilo
- Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 199397 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Grant Gilchrist
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Raven Road, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1A 0H3
| | - Olivier Gilg
- Laboratoire Chrono-environnement, UMR 6249, Université de Bourgogne Franche Comté, 25000 Besançon, France; Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique, 16 rue de Vernot, F-21440 Francheville, France
| | - Sindri Gíslason
- Southwest Iceland Nature Research Centre, Gardvegur 1, 245 Sudurnesjabaer, Iceland
| | - Elena Golubova
- Laboratory of Ornithology, Institute of Biological Problems of the North, RU-685000 Magadan, Portovaya Str., 18, Russia
| | - Aurélie Goutte
- EPHE, PSL Research University, UMR 7619 METIS, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - David Grémillet
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), UMR 5175 Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France,; Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Gunnar T Hallgrimsson
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Erpur S Hansen
- South Iceland Nature Research Centre, Ægisgata 2, 900 Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
| | | | - Scott Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, 99516-3185, AK, USA
| | - Nicholas P Huffeldt
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Dariusz Jakubas
- Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, University of Gdansk, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Jón Einar Jónsson
- University of Iceland's Research Center at Snæfellsnes, 340 Stykkishólmur, Iceland
| | - Alexander S Kitaysky
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology, Department of Biology & Wildlife, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000, United States of America
| | | | - Yuri Krasnov
- Murmansk Marine Biological Institute Russian Academy of Science, 183010 Vladimirskaya str. 17 Murmansk, Russia
| | - Robert J Letcher
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Raven Road, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1A 0H3
| | | | - Mark Mallory
- Biology, Acadia University Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Flemming Ravn Merkel
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Børge Moe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - William J Montevecchi
- Memorial Univerisity of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newoundland A1C 3X9, Canada
| | - Anders Mosbech
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Bergur Olsen
- Faroe Marine Reseaqrch Institute, Nóatún 1, FO-110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
| | - Rachael A Orben
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Jennifer F Provencher
- Science & Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0H3
| | | | - Tone K Reiertsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, FRAM Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Nora Rojek
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK, USA
| | - Marc Romano
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK, USA
| | - Jens Søndergaard
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Hallvard Strøm
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram center, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Akinori Takahashi
- National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Sabrina Tartu
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS- La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | | | - Jean-Baptiste Thiebot
- National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Alexis P Will
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology, Department of Biology & Wildlife, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000, United States of America; National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Simon Wilson
- Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Secretariat, The Fram Centre, Box 6606, Stakkevollan, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Glenn Yannic
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, 38000 Grenoble, France
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6
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Choy ES, Blight LK, Elliott JE, Hobson KA, Zanuttig M, Elliott KH. Stable Mercury Trends Support a Long-Term Diet Shift Away from Marine Foraging in Salish Sea Glaucous-Winged Gulls over the Last Century. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:12097-12105. [PMID: 35946869 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Marine predators are monitored as indicators of pollution, but such trends can be complicated by variation in diet. Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) have experienced a dietary shift over the past century, from mainly marine to including more terrestrial/freshwater inputs, with unknown impacts on mercury (Hg) trends. We examined 109-year trends in total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in glaucous-winged gull feathers (1887-1996) from the Salish Sea. Adult flank feathers had higher MeHg concentrations than immature feathers, and males head feathers had higher THg concentrations than females. Overall, we found no evidence of a trend in feather MeHg or THg concentrations over time from 1887 to 1996. In the same individuals, δ15N, δ13C, and δ34S declined over time in gull feathers. In comparison, egg THg concentrations declined from 1970 to 2019 in two species of cormorants, likely reflecting decreases in local Hg sources. We conclude that diet shifts through time may have countered increased Hg deposition from long-range transport in glaucous-winged gulls. The lack of Hg trends over time in glaucous-winged gull feathers provides additional support that these gulls have decreased the amount of marine forage fish in their diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily S Choy
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Louise K Blight
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
- Procellaria Research & Consulting, Victoria, British Columbia V9A 5C3, Canada
| | - John E Elliott
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Delta, British Columbia V4K 3N2, Canada
| | - Keith A Hobson
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A5B7, Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 3H5, Canada
| | - Michelle Zanuttig
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
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7
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Pollet IL, Provencher JF, McFarlane Tranquilla L, Burgess NM, Mallory ML. Mercury levels in North Atlantic seabirds: A synthesis. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 181:113884. [PMID: 35809474 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113884] [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: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is globally-distributed, with severe toxic effects on wildlife. Methylmercury biomagnifies within food webs, so long-lived, top predators such as seabirds are prone to high mercury concentrations. We synthesized historical and contemporary data on mercury concentrations in seabirds from the North Atlantic. We collected 614 values determined from 39 species and 115 locations, ranging from 1895 to 1940 and from 1970 to 2020. Highest blood-equivalent Hg values were in Phalacrocoracidae. For the same species/tissue/collection site, blood-equivalent values were lower during pre-1940 than post-1970 period. In almost 5 % of post-1970 values, mean blood-equivalent Hg concentrations were above those considered to pose severe risks of adverse effects, and 21 % were above the high-risk effect. We found an imbalance in sample effort and did not find Hg values for many species. We argue that stronger, trans-Atlantic Hg monitoring schemes are required to coordinate research and better compare trends across a wide scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid L Pollet
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada; Birds Canada, 43 Main Street, Sackville, NB E4L 1G6, Canada.
| | - Jennifer F Provencher
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | | | - Neil M Burgess
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - Mark L Mallory
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
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8
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Quillfeldt P, Cherel Y, Navarro J, Phillips RA, Masello JF, Suazo CG, Delord K, Bustamante P. Variation Among Species and Populations, and Carry-Over Effects of Winter Exposure on Mercury Accumulation in Small Petrels. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.915199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Even in areas as remote as the Southern Ocean, marine organisms are exposed to contaminants that arrive through long-range atmospheric transport, such as mercury (Hg), a highly toxic metal. In previous studies in the Southern Ocean, inter-specific differences in Hg contamination in seabirds was generally related to their distribution and trophic position. However, the Blue Petrel (Halobaena caerulea) was a notable exception among small seabirds, with higher Hg levels than expected. In this study, we compared the Hg contamination of Blue Petrels and Thin-billed Prions (Pachyptila belcheri), which both spend the non-breeding season in polar waters, with that of Antarctic Prions (Pachyptila desolata), which spend the winter in subtropical waters. We collected body feathers and blood samples, representing exposure during different time-frames. Hg concentrations in feathers, which reflect contamination throughout the annual cycle, were related to δ13C values, and varied with ocean basin and species. Blue Petrels from breeding colonies in the southeast Pacific Ocean had much higher feather Hg concentrations than expected after accounting for latitude and their low trophic positions. Both Hg concentrations and δ15N in blood samples of Blue Petrels were much lower at the end than at the start of the breeding period, indicating a marked decline in Hg contamination and trophic positions, and the carry-over of Hg burdens between the wintering and breeding periods. Elevated Hg levels may reflect greater reliance on myctophids or foraging in sea-ice environments. Our study underlines that carry-over of Hg concentrations in prey consumed in winter may determine body Hg burdens well into the breeding season.
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9
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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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10
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Dias Dos Santos AN, Recktenvald MCNDN, de Carvalho DP, Bortoleto Puerta EL, de Sousa-Filho IF, Dórea JG, Bastos WR. Mercury in birds (aquatic and scavenger) from the Western Amazon. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 201:111574. [PMID: 34181920 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In the Amazon rainforest, methylmercury (MeHg) is easily biomagnified and bio-accumulated in the aquatic food chain. This unique biome has been studied for occupational and environmental issues related to human health and contamination through fish consumption; however, wildlife studies have not yet addressed fish-eating birds. Different species of birds categorized by foraging strategies and life-stages were studied in the Madeira River Basin (Western Amazon rainforest). Feather and tissue (muscle, liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, and blood) samples were collected opportunistically from six bird species feeding on fish and aquatic fauna and a scavenger (a saprophagous species) during the low-water season (July 2017). All collected samples were analyzed for total Hg (THg); methyl-Hg (MeHg) was determined only in feathers. The mean THg concentrations in feathers (dw) were as follows: Ardea cocoi (4.05 μg g-1, n = 51) > Egretta thulla (3.94 μg g-1, n = 5) > Ardea alba (3.80 μg g-1, n = 61) > Anhinga anhinga (3.69 μg g-1, n = 8) > Nannopterum brasilianus (3.07 μg g-1, n = 10). The scavenger Coragyps atratus showed mean THg in feathers (9.93 μg g-1, n = 30) to be significantly higher than in fish-eating birds. Across species, THg levels in feathers correlated significantly with THgmuscle (p = 0.022) and THgbrain (p = 0.002). THg concentrations varied in tissues (feather > liver > kidneys > lungs > heart > muscle > blood > brain). The Hgbrain:Hgfeather, Hgbrain:Hgmuscle, and Hgbrain:Hgblood ratios were 0.031, 0.503 and 0.516, respectively. The mean [MeHg:THg] ratio in feathers from aquatic birds varied between species from 14 to 74% with a mean of 38%. Scavenger birds that forage in the terrestrial Amazonian environments concentrate more THg than species that forage in the aquatic environment. None of the aquatic species showed THg concentration in internal organs that were above threshold for risk of Hg toxicity; additionally, they are not listed in the categories of threat by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela N Dias Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental Wolfgang C. Pfeiffer, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Izidro F de Sousa-Filho
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental Wolfgang C. Pfeiffer, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil
| | - José G Dórea
- Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
| | - Wanderley R Bastos
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental Wolfgang C. Pfeiffer, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho, Brazil.
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11
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Elliott JE, Drever MC, Studholme KR, Silverthorn V, Miller AA, Elliott KH, Lee SL, Drouillard KG, Porter E, Idrissi AM, Crossin GT, Hipfner JM. Exposure to persistent organic pollutants is linked to over-wintering latitude in a Pacific seabird, the rhinoceros auklet, Cerorhinca monocerata. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 279:116928. [PMID: 33774363 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds are wide-ranging organisms often used to track marine pollution, yet the effect of migration on exposure over the annual cycle is often unclear. We used solar geolocation loggers and stable isotope analysis to study the effects of post breeding dispersal and diet on persistent organic pollutant (POP) and mercury (Hg) burdens in rhinoceros auklets, Cerorhinca monocerata, breeding on islands along the Pacific Coast of Canada. Hg and four classes of POPs were measured in auklet eggs: organochlorine insecticides (OCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and perfluoralkyl substances (PFASs). Stable isotope values of adult breast feathers grown during winter were used in conjunction with geolocation to elucidate adult wintering latitude. Wintering latitude was the most consistent and significant predictor of some POP and of Hg concentrations in eggs. The magnitude and pattern of exposure varied by contaminant, with ∑PCBs, ∑PBDEs and DDE decreasing with wintering latitude, and mirex, perfluoro-n-tridecanoic acid, and Hg increasing with latitude. We suggest that concentrations of these contaminants in rhinoceros auklet eggs are influenced by variation in uptake at adult wintering locations related to anthropogenic inputs and oceanic and atmospheric transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Elliott
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada.
| | - Mark C Drever
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada
| | | | - Veronica Silverthorn
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada
| | - Aroha A Miller
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sandi L Lee
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada
| | | | - Emily Porter
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Abde Miftah Idrissi
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - J Mark Hipfner
- Wildlife and Landscape Science, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada
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12
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Mercury contamination of seabird and sea duck eggs from high Arctic Greenland. Polar Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02864-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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13
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Dzielski SA, Razavi NR, Twining CW, Cleckner LB, Rohwer VG. Reconstructing avian mercury concentrations through time using museum specimens from New York State. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1802-1814. [PMID: 31729602 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02123-0] [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] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We examined how variation in MeHg concentrations through time is reflected in birds, a taxon commonly used as a biological indicator of ecosystem health. Using museum specimens collected from 1880 to 2016, we measured feather MeHg concentrations in six species of birds that breed in New York State and have distinct dietary and habitat preferences. We predicted that MeHg concentrations in feathers would mirror Hg emission patterns in New York State and increase through time until 1980 then decrease thereafter in response to increased regulation of anthropogenic Hg emissions. We found that MeHg concentrations increased with δ15N, and that MeHg feather concentrations for some individuals from four of the six species examined exceeded concentrations known to cause negative sublethal effects in birds. In contrast to our prediction, MeHg concentrations in feathers did not parallel global or local Hg emissions through time and varied by species, even after controlling for possible changes in diet and habitat. MeHg concentrations varied substantially within species and individual specimens, suggesting that high within-individual variation in feather MeHg concentrations caused by spatiotemporal variation in molt, environmental Hg exposure, or mobility decoupling Hg uptake from breeding sites, may obscure trends in MeHg through time. Our study provides a unique assessment of feather MeHg in six species not typically analyzed using this retrospective approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Dzielski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
- Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
| | - N Roxanna Razavi
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
- Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, 14556, USA
| | - Cornelia W Twining
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Lisa B Cleckner
- Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, 14556, USA
| | - Vanya G Rohwer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
- Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
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14
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Furtado R, Granadeiro JP, Campioni L, Silva M, Pereira E, Catry P. Trace elements' reference levels in blood of breeding black-browed albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris from the Falkland Islands. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:39265-39273. [PMID: 32648215 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09928-1] [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: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Trace elements' concentration in the ocean is fast growing and is a source of major concern. Being charismatic and at the top of food chains, seabirds are often used as biological monitors of contaminants. We studied the concentration of trace elements in blood of black-browed albatross from the Falklands Islands, which we here show, by tracking with geolocators, forage over most of the Patagonian Shelf. Levels of trace elements were measured in males and females from two different islands. Blood concentrations of trace elements were not significantly different between islands, which is consistent with observations from foraging behavior revealing that birds from both islands foraged in broadly the same areas in the months before sampling. Arsenic and selenium concentrations in females were higher than in males. Sex-related differences in the concentration of these elements may be related to unknown slight differences in diet or to differences in assimilation between sexes. These results provide reference values for monitoring elemental contamination in the Patagonian Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem using black-browed albatrosses, one of the most abundant top predators and a suitable sentinel for the region's environmental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Furtado
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA, Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - José Pedro Granadeiro
- CESAM Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Letizia Campioni
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA, Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mónica Silva
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Eduarda Pereira
- Department of Chemistry and CESAM/REQUIMTE, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Paulo Catry
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA, Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
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15
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Sebastiano M, Canestrelli D, Bisconti R, Lavergne A, Pineau K, Chastel O, Lacoste V, Costantini D. Detection and Phylogenetic Characterization of a Novel Herpesvirus in Sooty Terns Onychoprion fuscatus. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:567. [PMID: 33088826 PMCID: PMC7493666 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Since 2005, we have recorded annual episodes of alphaherpesvirus outbreaks in chicks of magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens on the Ile du Grand Connétable Nature Reserve in French Guiana. In 2009, we found sooty terns, Onychoprion fuscatus, that live sympatrically with frigatebirds, with visible clinical signs of a potential viral infection. To determine if the symptoms observed in sooty terns could be associated with an alphaherpesvirus previously identified in frigatebirds, we carried out molecular screening of samples collected from seven individuals. We identified and characterized a novel viral sequence from five birds. BLAST searches, pairwise nucleotide, and amino acid sequence comparisons, as well as phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the sequence belonged to the Herpesviridae family, of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. We observed that it clustered with strains isolated from Podargidae (Caprimulgiformes), Columbiformes, and Falconiformes, but was distinct from the frigatebird herpesvirus. We have tentatively named it Onychoprion fuscatus alphaherpesvirus 1, (OfusAHV1). These two sequences, although found syntopic on the Ile du Grand Connétable, belong to two distinct alphaherpesvirus strains. Thus, the clinical symptoms showed by sooty terns do not likely result from a cross-species transmission event. Future work is needed to better characterize the virus and to investigate herpesvirus prevalence in healthy, free-ranging sooty terns, and to assess the impact of the virus on population viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manrico Sebastiano
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Univ, La Rochelle, France
| | - Daniele Canestrelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Science, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Roberta Bisconti
- Department of Ecological and Biological Science, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Anne Lavergne
- Laboratoire des Interactions Virus-Hôtes, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, France
| | - Kévin Pineau
- Groupe d'Etude et de Protection des Oiseaux en Guyane (GEPOG), Rémire-Montjoly, France
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Univ, La Rochelle, France
| | - Vincent Lacoste
- Laboratoire des Interactions Virus-Hôtes, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, France.,Unité de Biologie des Infections Virales Emergentes, Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Institut Pasteur, Lyon, France
| | - David Costantini
- Unité Physiologie moléculaire et adaptation (PhyMA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, CP32, Paris, France
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16
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Perkins M, Lane OP, Evers DC, Sauer A, Adams EM, O'Driscoll NJ, Edmunds ST, Jackson AK, Hagelin JC, Trimble J, Sunderland EM. Historical patterns in mercury exposure for North American songbirds. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1161-1173. [PMID: 31161526 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02054-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a global environmental contaminant that poses significant risks to the health of humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. Assessing MeHg exposure in biota across the landscape and over time is vital for monitoring MeHg pollution and gauging the effectiveness of regulations intended to reduce new mercury (Hg) releases. We used MeHg concentrations measured in museum specimen feathers (collected between 1869 and 2014) and total Hg concentrations (as a proxy for MeHg) of feathers sampled from wild birds (collected between 2008 and 2017) to investigate temporal patterns in exposure over approximately 150 years for North American songbirds. For individual species, we found greater concentrations for samples collected post-2000 compared to those collected during historic times (pre-1900) for six of seven songbird species. Mean feather concentrations measured in samples collected post-2000 ranged between 1.9 and 17 times (mean 6.6) greater than historic specimens. The proportion of individual songbirds with feather concentrations that exceeded modeled toxicity benchmarks increased in samples collected after 1940. Only 2% of individual songbirds collected prior to 1940 had feather concentrations greater than 2.4 μg/g (a toxicity benchmark related to a 10% decrease in nest success) compared to 35% of individuals collected post-1940. Many species included in this study have a vulnerable or near-threatened conservation status, suggesting recovery actions are needed to address mercury pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Perkins
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Oksana P Lane
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Amy Sauer
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Evan M Adams
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Nelson J O'Driscoll
- K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
| | | | - Allyson K Jackson
- Department of Environmental Studies, Purchase College, SUNY, Purchase, NY, 10577, USA
| | - Julie C Hagelin
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Threatened, Endangered and Diversity Program, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, USA
| | - Jeremiah Trimble
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Elsie M Sunderland
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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17
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Kardynal KJ, Jardine TD, Génier CSV, Bumelis KH, Mitchell GW, Evans M, Hobson KA. Mercury exposure to swallows breeding in Canada inferred from feathers grown on breeding and non-breeding grounds. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:876-891. [PMID: 32656653 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-020-02249-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Aerial insectivorous birds such as swallows have been the steepest declining groups of birds in North America over the last 50 years but whether such declines are linked to contaminants has not been examined. We sampled feathers from five species of swallow at multiple locations to assess total mercury [THg] exposure for adults during the non-breeding season, and for juveniles on the breeding grounds. We assessed Hg exposure to juvenile birds in crop- and grass-dominated landscapes to determine if land-use practices influenced feather [THg]. We assayed feathers for stable isotopes (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N) as proxies for relative habitat use and diet to determine their potential influence on feather [THg]. Feather [THg] was highest in adult bank swallows (Riparia riparia) and purple martins (Progne subis) from Saskatchewan and adult cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) from western regions, indicating differential exposure to Hg on the non-breeding grounds. Juvenile bank, barn (Hirundo rustica) and tree (Tachycineta bicolor) swallows had lower feather [THg] in crop-dominated landscapes than grass-dominated landscapes in Saskatchewan, potentially resulting from lower use of wetland-derived insects due to wetland drainage and intensive agriculture. Feather [THg] was related to juvenile feather stable isotopes for several species, suggesting complex interactions with diet and environmental factors. Many individuals had feather [THg] values >2 µg/g, a threshold at which deleterious effects may occur. Our findings indicate differential Hg exposure among species of swallow, regions and land-uses and highlight the need for additional research to determine dietary and finer-scale land-use impacts on individual species and populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Kardynal
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd., Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada.
| | - Timothy D Jardine
- School of Environment and Sustainability, Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B3, Canada
| | - Corrine S V Génier
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Kaelyn H Bumelis
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Greg W Mitchell
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Marlene Evans
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd., Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada
| | - Keith A Hobson
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd., Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
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18
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Zorrozua N, Castège I, Diaz B, Egunez A, Galarza A, Hidalgo J, Milon E, Sanpera C, Arizaga J. Relating trophic ecology and Hg species contamination in a resident opportunistic seabird of the Bay of Biscay. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 186:109526. [PMID: 32335430 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109526] [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: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is the most bioavailable and toxic form of the globally distributed pollutant Hg. Organisms of higher trophic levels living in aquatic ecosystems have potentially higher concentrations of MeHg. In this work, we analysed both MeHg and inorganic Mercury (Hg(II)) concentrations from dorsal feathers of chicks from ten colonies of Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) in the south-eastern part of the Bay of Biscay. Overall, we detected a high mean MeHg concentration that, however, differed among colonies. Additionally, based on stable isotopes analysis (δ13C and δ15N) and conducting General Linear Mixed Models, we found that chicks which were mostly/mainly fed with prey of marine origin had higher levels of MeHg. We propose Yellow-legged Gull as a reliable biomonitor for Hg species, as it is easy for sampling and in compliance with the Minamata convention on Mercury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nere Zorrozua
- Department of Ornithology, Aranzadi Sciences Society, Zorroagagaina 11, E-20014, Donostia, Spain.
| | - Iker Castège
- Centre de la Mer de Biarritz, Plateau de l'Atalaye, 64200, Biarritz, France
| | - Beñat Diaz
- Department of Ornithology, Aranzadi Sciences Society, Zorroagagaina 11, E-20014, Donostia, Spain
| | - Alexandra Egunez
- Department of Ornithology, Aranzadi Sciences Society, Zorroagagaina 11, E-20014, Donostia, Spain
| | - Aitor Galarza
- Sustainable Development and Natural Environment Department, County Council of Biscay, 48014, Bilbao, Spain
| | | | - Emilie Milon
- Centre de la Mer de Biarritz, Plateau de l'Atalaye, 64200, Biarritz, France
| | - Carola Sanpera
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Arizaga
- Department of Ornithology, Aranzadi Sciences Society, Zorroagagaina 11, E-20014, Donostia, Spain
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19
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Puskic PS, Lavers JL, Adams LR, Bond AL. Ingested plastic and trace element concentrations in Short-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris). MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 155:111143. [PMID: 32469768 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Pollution of marine environments is concerning for complex trophic systems. Two anthropogenic stresses associated with marine pollution are the introduction of marine plastic and their associated chemicals (e.g., trace elements) which, when ingested, may cause harm to wildlife. Here we explore the relationship between plastic ingestion and trace element burden in the breast muscle of Short-tailed Shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris). We found no relationship between the amount of plastic ingested and trace element concentration in the birds' tissues. Though the mass and number of plastic items ingested by birds during 1969-2017 did not change significantly, trace element concentrations of some elements (Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr and Cd), appeared to have increased in birds sampled in 2017 compared to limited data from prior studies. We encourage policy which considers the data gleaned from this sentinel species to monitor the anthropogenic alteration of the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter S Puskic
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, School Road, Newnham, Tasmania 7250, Australia
| | - Jennifer L Lavers
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia.
| | - Louise R Adams
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, School Road, Newnham, Tasmania 7250, Australia
| | - Alexander L Bond
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia; Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, United Kingdom
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20
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Bond AL, Jones IL. Relationships between mercury burden, sex, and sexually selected feather ornaments in crested auklet (Aethia cristatella). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:16640-16645. [PMID: 32130640 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08219-z] [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: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with higher contaminant burdens are expected to be in poorer physical health and be of lower individual body condition and energetic status, potentially resulting in reduced ornamentation or increased asymmetry in bilateral features. The degree and magnitude of this effect also would be expected to vary by sex, as female birds depurate contaminants into eggs. We tested for relationships among mercury in feathers, sex, and elaborate feather ornaments that relate to individual quality in crested auklets (Aethia cristatella), small planktivorous seabirds in the North Pacific Ocean. We found no relationships between mercury and the size of individuals' forehead crest or degree of measurement asymmetry in auricular plumes, both of which are favoured by intersexual selection. Females had significantly greater mercury concentrations than males (females. 1.02 ± 0.39 μg/g; males, 0.75 ± 0.32 μg/g); but concentrations were below that known to have physiological effects, as expected for a secondary consumer. Sex differences in overwintering area for this long-distance migrant species (more females in the Kuroshio Current Large Marine Ecosystem than males) could be the reason for this seemingly counterintuitive result between sexes. Further research relating mercury burden to overwintering ecology and diet contents would build on our results and further elucidate interrelationships between sex, sexually selected feather ornaments and contaminant burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Bond
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada.
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire, HP23 6AP, UK.
| | - Ian L Jones
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada
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21
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Falandysz J, Saba M, Zhang J, Hanć A. Occurrence, distribution and estimated intake of mercury and selenium from sclerotia of the medicinal fungus Wolfiporia cocos from China. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 247:125928. [PMID: 32069718 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.125928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The contamination and distribution of mercury and selenium in the Chinese medicinal fungus Wolfiporia cocos was investigated. The sclerotial mercury concentrations ranged from 0.0043 to 0.027 mg kg1 dry biomass (db) in the inner white part and 0.019-0.074 mg kg-1 db in the shell (outer part), while selenium concentrations ranged from < 0.00048 to 0.0040 mg kg-1 db (white) and 0.0034-0.038 mg kg-1 db (shell). Positive correlations were found for mercury, as well as for mercury and selenium but they were not consistent for both morphological parts. Mercury concentrations exceeded selenium in 16 of 17 white part pools (molar quotient 0.53 to > 10) and in 11 of 17 shell pools (quotient 0.37 to 3.2). The estimated maximal exposure to mercury contained in sclerotial products based on 45 g per capita daily intake for a 60 kg individual over one week, was 0.000020 mg kg-1 body mass (bm; white) and 0.000055 mg kg-1 bm (shell) on a daily basis, and 0.00014 mg kg-1 bm (white) and 0.00039 mg kg-1 bm (shell) on a weekly basis. Relative to mercury, the corresponding intake rates of selenium were considered very low, i.e., they averaged on a daily basis at 0.00075 μg kg-1 bm (white) and 0.0097 μg kg-1 bm (shell) with maximum intake at 0.0030 μg kg-1 bm (white) and 0.028 μg kg-1 bm (shell).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerzy Falandysz
- University of Gdańsk, Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Gdańsk, Poland; Environmental and Computational Chemistry Group, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zaragocilla Campus, University of Cartagena, 130015, Cartagena, Colombia; Medicinal Plants Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, 650200, China.
| | - Martyna Saba
- University of Gdańsk, Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Ji Zhang
- Medicinal Plants Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, 650200, China.
| | - Anetta Hanć
- Adam Mickiewicz University, Department of Trace Element Analysis By Spectroscopy Method, Umultowska 89b, PL, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
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22
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Lavers JL, Humphreys-Williams E, Crameri NJ, Bond AL. Trace element concentrations in feathers from three seabird species breeding in the Timor Sea. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 151:110876. [PMID: 32056652 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110876] [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: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mobile marine predators, such as seabirds, are frequently used as broad samplers of contaminants that are widespread in the marine environment. The Timor Sea off remote Western Australia is a poorly studied, yet rapidly expanding area of offshore development. To provide much needed data on contamination in this region, we quantified trace element concentrations in breast feathers of three seabird species breeding on Bedout Island. While adult Masked Boobies Sula dactylatra exhibited some of the highest concentrations, values for all species were below toxicology thresholds for seabirds and were comparable to those reported in other closely related species. The low concentrations detected in the birds provide a valuable baseline and suggest that the local marine environment around Bedout is in relatively good condition. However, careful monitoring is warranted in light increasing anthropogenic activity in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Lavers
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia.
| | - Emma Humphreys-Williams
- Imaging and Analysis Centre, Core Research Labs, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J Crameri
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia
| | - Alexander L Bond
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, United Kingdom
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23
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Furtado R, Pereira ME, Granadeiro JP, Catry P. Body feather mercury and arsenic concentrations in five species of seabirds from the Falkland Islands. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2019; 149:110574. [PMID: 31546110 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Several pollutants, including heavy metals, magnify along the food chain, and top predators such as seabirds can be used to monitor their trends in the marine environment. We studied mercury and arsenic contamination in body feathers in penguins, petrels and cormorants in three islands of the Falklands Islands. There were significant differences among species and sites in the concentration of trace elements in feathers. Black-browed albatrosses and gentoo penguins had consistently high mercury concentrations on New Island, while Rockhopper penguins and imperial shags presented considerably higher concentrations at Beauchene Island. Mercury levels in black-browed albatrosses increased since 1986 on one of the islands, probably reflecting world-wide emission trends. Rockhopper penguins exhibited high arsenic levels, but levels were less variable among species, and were not correlated with mercury levels, suggesting low biomagnification. These results provide a reference line for bioindication studies using feathers from species on the Falkland Islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Furtado
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Maria Eduarda Pereira
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies/REQUINTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - José Pedro Granadeiro
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Paulo Catry
- MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal.
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24
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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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25
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Lendemer J, Thiers B, Monfils AK, Zaspel J, Ellwood ER, Bentley A, LeVan K, Bates J, Jennings D, Contreras D, Lagomarsino L, Mabee P, Ford LS, Guralnick R, Gropp RE, Revelez M, Cobb N, Seltmann K, Aime MC. The Extended Specimen Network: A Strategy to Enhance US Biodiversity Collections, Promote Research and Education. Bioscience 2019; 70:23-30. [PMID: 31949317 PMCID: PMC6956879 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biz140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Barbara Thiers
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York
| | - Anna K Monfils
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
| | - Jennifer Zaspel
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Elizabeth R Ellwood
- La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California
| | - Andrew Bentley
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas
| | - Katherine LeVan
- New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.,National Ecological Observatory Network, Boulder, Colorado
| | - John Bates
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois
| | - David Jennings
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | | | | | - Paula Mabee
- University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota
| | - Linda S Ford
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Robert Guralnick
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Robert E Gropp
- Biodiversity Collections Network Advisory Committee.,American Institute of Biological Sciences, Washington, DC
| | | | - Neil Cobb
- Merriam-Powell Center, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
| | - Katja Seltmann
- Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara
| | - M Catherine Aime
- Purdue University Herbaria, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
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26
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Sun J, Bossi R, Bustnes JO, Helander B, Boertmann D, Dietz R, Herzke D, Jaspers VLB, Labansen AL, Lepoint G, Schulz R, Sonne C, Thorup K, Tøttrup AP, Zubrod JP, Eens M, Eulaers I. White-Tailed Eagle ( Haliaeetus albicilla) Body Feathers Document Spatiotemporal Trends of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in the Northern Environment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:12744-12753. [PMID: 31599575 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b03514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We reconstructed the first long-term (1968-2015) spatiotemporal trends of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) using archived body feathers of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) from the West Greenland (n = 31), Norwegian (n = 66), and Central Swedish Baltic coasts (n = 50). We observed significant temporal trends of perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (∑PFCAs) in all three subpopulations. Concentrations of FOSA and PFOS had started decreasing significantly since the mid-1990s to 2000 in the Greenland and Norwegian subpopulations, consistent with the 3M phase-out, though in sharp contrast to overall increasing trends observed in the Swedish subpopulation. Moreover, ∑PFCA concentrations significantly increased in all three subpopulations throughout the study periods. These temporal trends suggest on-going input of PFOS in the Baltic and of ∑PFCAs in all three regions. Considerable spatial variation in PFAS concentrations and profiles was observed: PFOS concentrations were significantly higher in Sweden, whereas FOSA and ∑PFCA concentrations were similar among the subpopulations. PFOS dominated the PFAS profiles in the Swedish and Norwegian subpopulations, in contrast to the domination of FOSA and ∑PFCAs in the Greenland one. Our spatiotemporal observations underline the usefulness of archived bird of prey feathers in monitoring spatiotemporal PFAS trends and urge for continued monitoring efforts in each of the studied subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiachen Sun
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology , University of Antwerp , Universiteitsplein 1 , BE-2610 Wilrijk , Belgium
| | | | - Jan Ove Bustnes
- Unit for Arctic Ecology , Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment , Hjalmar Johansens gate 14 , P. O. Box 6606, NO-9296 Tromsø , Norway
| | - Björn Helander
- Environmental Research & Monitoring , Swedish Museum of Natural History , Frescativägen 40 , P. O. Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm , Sweden
| | | | | | - Dorte Herzke
- NILU, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment , Hjalmar Johansens gate 14 , NO-9296 Tromsø , Norway
| | - Veerle L B Jaspers
- Environmental Toxicology Group, Department of Biology , Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Høgskoleringen 5 , NO-7491 Trondheim , Norway
| | - Aili Lage Labansen
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources , Kivioq 2 , P. O. Box 570, GL-3900 Nuuk , Greenland
| | - Gilles Lepoint
- MARE Centre, Oceanology , University of Liège , Allée de la Chimie 3 , BE-4000 Liège , Belgium
| | - Ralf Schulz
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences , University of Koblenz-Landau , Fortstrasse 7 , DE-76829 Landau , Germany
| | | | - Kasper Thorup
- Natural History Museum of Denmark , University of Copenhagen , Øster Voldgade 5-7 , DK-1350 Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Anders P Tøttrup
- Natural History Museum of Denmark , University of Copenhagen , Øster Voldgade 5-7 , DK-1350 Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Jochen P Zubrod
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences , University of Koblenz-Landau , Fortstrasse 7 , DE-76829 Landau , Germany
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology , University of Antwerp , Universiteitsplein 1 , BE-2610 Wilrijk , Belgium
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27
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Sun J, Bustnes JO, Helander B, Bårdsen BJ, Boertmann D, Dietz R, Jaspers VLB, Labansen AL, Lepoint G, Schulz R, Søndergaard J, Sonne C, Thorup K, Tøttrup AP, Zubrod JP, Eens M, Eulaers I. Temporal trends of mercury differ across three northern white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) subpopulations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 687:77-86. [PMID: 31203010 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The spatiotemporal trends of mercury (Hg) are crucial for the understanding of this ubiquitous and toxic contaminant. However, uncertainties often arise from comparison among studies using different species, analytical and statistical methods. The long-term temporal trends of Hg exposure were reconstructed for a key sentinel species, the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Body feathers were sampled from museum collections covering 150 years in time (from 1866 to 2015) from West Greenland (n = 124), Norway (n = 102), and Sweden (n = 87). A significant non-linear trend was observed in the Norwegian subpopulation, with a 60% increase in exposure occurring from 1866 to 1957 followed by a 40% decline until 2015. In the Swedish subpopulation, studied at a later period, the Hg exposure showed a drastic decline of 70% from 1967 to 2011. In contrast, no significant trend could be observed in the Greenland subpopulation. The additional analysis of dietary proxies (δ13C and δ15N) in general increased performance of the temporal trend models, but this was dependent on the subpopulation and study period. The downward trend of Hg coincided with the decreasing δ13C and δ15N in the Norwegian subpopulation, suggesting a potential dietary mitigation of Hg contamination. Hg exposure in both the Greenland and Norwegian subpopulations was consistently below the suggested threshold for adverse health effects (40.0 μg g-1), while the maximum exposure in the Swedish subpopulation was distinctively elevated (median: 46.0 μg g-1) and still remains well above natural background concentrations (maximum 5.0 μg g-1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiachen Sun
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, BE-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Jan Ove Bustnes
- Arctic Ecology Department, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Björn Helander
- Environmental Research & Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Frescativägen 40, PO Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bård-Jørgen Bårdsen
- Arctic Ecology Department, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - David Boertmann
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Veerle L B Jaspers
- Environmental Toxicology Group, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Aili Lage Labansen
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, GL-3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Gilles Lepoint
- MARE Centre, Oceanology, University of Liège, Allée de la Chimie 3, BE-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Ralf Schulz
- iES, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, DE-76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Jens Søndergaard
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Christian Sonne
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kasper Thorup
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anders P Tøttrup
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jochen P Zubrod
- iES, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, DE-76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, BE-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Igor Eulaers
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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28
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Billerman SM, Walsh J. Historical DNA as a tool to address key questions in avian biology and evolution: A review of methods, challenges, applications, and future directions. Mol Ecol Resour 2019; 19:1115-1130. [PMID: 31336408 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Museum specimens play a crucial role in addressing key questions in systematics, evolution, ecology, and conservation. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies, specimens that have long been the foundation of important biological discoveries can inform new perspectives as sources of genomic data. Despite the many possibilities associated with analyzing DNA from historical specimens, several challenges persist. Using avian systems as a model, we review DNA extraction protocols, sequencing technologies, and capture methods that are helping researchers overcome some of these difficulties. We highlight empirical examples in which researchers have used these technologies to address fundamental questions related to avian conservation and evolution. Increasing accessibility to new sequencing technologies will provide researchers with tools to tap into the wealth of information contained within our valuable natural history collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn M Billerman
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Walsh
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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29
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Hudelson KE, Muir DCG, Drevnick PE, Köck G, Iqaluk D, Wang X, Kirk JL, Barst BD, Grgicak-Mannion A, Shearon R, Fisk AT. Temporal trends, lake-to-lake variation, and climate effects on Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) mercury concentrations from six High Arctic lakes in Nunavut, Canada. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 678:801-812. [PMID: 31085496 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming and mercury (Hg) are concurrently influencing Arctic ecosystems, altering their functioning and threatening food security. Non-anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in small lakes were used to biomonitor these two anthropogenic stressors, because this iconic Arctic species is a long-lived top predator in relatively simple food webs, and yet population characteristics vary greatly, reflecting differences between lake systems. Mercury concentrations in six landlocked Arctic char populations on Cornwallis Island, Nunavut have been monitored as early as 1989, providing a novel dataset to examine differences in muscle [Hg] among char populations, temporal trends, and the relationship between climate patterns and Arctic char [Hg]. We found significant lake-to-lake differences in length-adjusted Arctic char muscle [Hg], which varied by up to 9-fold. Arctic char muscle [Hg] was significantly correlated to dissolved and particulate organic carbon concentrations in water; neither watershed area or vegetation cover explained differences. Three lakes exhibited significant temporal declines in length-adjusted [Hg] in Arctic char; the other three lakes had no significant trends. Though precipitation, temperature, wind speed, and sea ice duration were tested, no single climate variable was significantly correlated to length-adjusted [Hg] across populations. However, Arctic char Hg in Resolute Lake exhibited a significant correlation with sea ice duration, which is likely closely linked to lake ice duration, and which may impact Hg processing in lakes. Additionally, Arctic char [Hg] in Amituk Lake was significantly correlated to snow fall, which may be linked to Hg deposition. The lack of consistent temporal trends in neighboring char populations indicates that currently, within lake processes are the strongest drivers of [Hg] in char in the study lakes and potentially in other Arctic lakes, and that the influence of climate change will likely vary from lake to lake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karista E Hudelson
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada; Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Québec, QC G1K 9A9, Canada.
| | - Derek C G Muir
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada.
| | - Paul E Drevnick
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Québec, QC G1K 9A9, Canada; Alberta Environment and Parks, Environmental Monitoring and Science Division, Calgary, AB T2E 7L7, Canada
| | - Günter Köck
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Deborah Iqaluk
- Hamlet of Resolute Bay, Resolute Bay, NU X0A 0V0, Canada
| | - Xiaowa Wang
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada
| | - Jane L Kirk
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada
| | - Benjamin D Barst
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université du Québec, Québec, QC G1K 9A9, Canada; Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Alice Grgicak-Mannion
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Rebecca Shearon
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Aaron T Fisk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
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Nardiello V, Fidalgo LE, López-Beceiro A, Bertero A, Martínez-Morcillo S, Míguez MP, Soler F, Caloni F, Pérez-López M. Metal content in the liver, kidney, and feathers of Northern gannets, Morus bassanus, sampled on the Spanish coast. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:19646-19654. [PMID: 31079298 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05356-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The value of birds as bioindicators for monitoring the environmental inorganic elements has been globally recognized. In this context, due to its well-known ecology and population stability, the Northern gannet (Morus bassanus) could be particularly useful. Dead Northern gannets (n = 30) were collected and samples from the liver, kidney, and feathers were taken, dried, mineralized, and finally analyzed via ICP-MS. Metals and metalloids, namely As, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Zn, associated with environmental pollution and toxicity on living organisms, were evaluated. The mean highest concentrations of As, Hg, and Zn were found in the liver (0.916, 7.026, and 89.81 mg/kg dry weight, respectively). For Cd, the kidney showed the highest mean concentration (17.51 mg/kg dry weight), whereas for Pb, this value corresponded to the feathers (0.399 mg/kg dry weight). Significant differences were found between the age classes in terms of contaminant concentrations, with the adults exhibiting higher metal levels. This difference was significantly relevant for Pb and Hg, where the effect of age was observed for all the considered tissues. When considering the effect of gender, no significant differences were observed, in agreement with similar studies performed in other geographical regions. Finally, positive correlations between the concentrations of Hg and Pb in the feathers and in the liver (r = 0.688, p < 0.001 and r = 0.566, p < 0.001, respectively) were observed, as well as between the feather and kidney concentrations (r = 0.685, p < 0.001) indicating the possibility to use feathers, a non-invasive biomonitoring tissue, for better understanding Hg and Pb exposure in seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Nardiello
- Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Luis Eusebio Fidalgo
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (USC), 27003, Lugo, Spain
| | - Ana López-Beceiro
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (USC), 27003, Lugo, Spain
| | - Alessia Bertero
- Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | | | - María Prado Míguez
- Toxicology Area, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UEX), 10003, Caceres, Spain
- INBIO G+C, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Francisco Soler
- Toxicology Area, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UEX), 10003, Caceres, Spain
- IPROCAR Research Institutes, Cáceres, Spain
| | - Francesca Caloni
- Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcos Pérez-López
- Toxicology Area, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UEX), 10003, Caceres, Spain.
- INBIO G+C, Cáceres, Spain.
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31
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Bourbour RP, Martinico BL, Ackerman JT, Herzog MP, Hull AC, Fish AM, Hull JM. Feather mercury concentrations in North American raptors sampled at migration monitoring stations. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2019; 28:379-391. [PMID: 30761431 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02016-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We assessed total mercury (THg) concentrations in breast feathers of diurnal North American raptors collected at migration monitoring stations. For 9 species in the Pacific Flyway, we found species and age influenced feather THg concentrations whereas sex did not. Feather THg concentrations µg/g dry weight (dw) averaged (least squares mean ± standard error) higher for raptors that generally consume > 75% avian prey (sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter striatus: n = 113; 4.35 ± 0.45 µg/g dw, peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus: n = 12; 3.93 ± 1.11 µg/g dw, Cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii: n = 20; 2.35 ± 0.50 µg/g dw, and merlin Falco columbarius: n = 59; 1.75 ± 0.28 µg/g dw) than for raptors that generally consume < 75% avian prey (northern harrier Circus hudsonius: n = 112; 0.75 ± 0.10 µg/g dw, red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis: n = 109; 0.56 ± 0.06 µg/g dw, American kestrel Falco sparverius: n = 16; 0.57 ± 0.14 µg/g dw, prairie falcon Falco mexicanus: n = 10; 0.41 ± 0.13 µg/g dw) except for red-shouldered hawks Buteo lineatus: n = 10; 1.94 ± 0.61 µg/g dw. Feather THg concentrations spanning 13-years (2002-2014) in the Pacific Flyway differed among 3 species, where THg increased for juvenile northern harrier, decreased for adult red-tailed hawk, and showed no trend for adult sharp-shinned hawk. Mean feather THg concentrations in juvenile merlin were greater in the Mississippi Flyway (n = 56; 2.14 ± 0.18 µg/g dw) than those in the Pacific Flyway (n = 49; 1.15 ± 0.11 µg/g dw) and Intermountain Flyway (n = 23; 1.14 ± 0.16 µg/g dw), and Atlantic Flyway (n = 38; 1.75 ± 0.19 µg/g dw) averaged greater than the Pacific Flyway. Our results indicate that raptor migration monitoring stations provide a cost-effective sampling opportunity for biomonitoring environmental contaminants within and between distinct migration corridors and across time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P Bourbour
- Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Breanna L Martinico
- Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Joshua T Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Mark P Herzog
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Angus C Hull
- Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, Sausalito, CA, USA
| | - Allen M Fish
- Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, Sausalito, CA, USA
| | - Joshua M Hull
- Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, Sausalito, CA, USA
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Schmitt CJ, Cook JA, Zamudio KR, Edwards SV. Museum specimens of terrestrial vertebrates are sensitive indicators of environmental change in the Anthropocene. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 374:20170387. [PMID: 30455205 PMCID: PMC6282080 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural history museums and the specimen collections they curate are vital scientific infrastructure, a fact as true today as it was when biologists began collecting and preserving specimens over 200 years ago. The importance of museum specimens in studies of taxonomy, systematics, ecology and evolutionary biology is evidenced by a rich and abundant literature, yet creative and novel uses of specimens are constantly broadening the impact of natural history collections on biodiversity science and global sustainability. Excellent examples of the critical importance of specimens come from their use in documenting the consequences of environmental change, which is particularly relevant considering the alarming rate at which we now modify our planet in the Anthropocene. In this review, we highlight the important role of bird, mammal and amphibian specimens in documenting the Anthropocene and provide examples that underscore the need for continued collection of museum specimens.This article is part of the theme issue 'Biological collections for understanding biodiversity in the Anthropocene'.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Jonathan Schmitt
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Joseph A Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology & Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Kelly R Zamudio
- Museum of Vertebrates and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Mallory ML, Provencher JF, Robertson GJ, Braune BM, Holland ER, Klapstein S, Stevens K, O'Driscoll NJ. Mercury concentrations in blood, brain and muscle tissues of coastal and pelagic birds from northeastern Canada. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2018; 157:424-430. [PMID: 29655158 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element which has increased in marine environments for more than a century, due largely to anthropogenic activities, and biomagnifies in food chains to harmful levels in some top predators like waterfowl and seabirds. We analysed total mercury (THg) concentrations in blood, brain and muscle tissue from healthy specimens of 13 coastal and pelagic bird species from eastern and northern Canada to provide a baseline on current concentrations, especially for brain concentrations which are highly underrepresented in the literature. We also examined within and among tissues relationships of THg concentrations within individuals. THg concentrations were generally higher in pelagic species and scavenging gulls, when compared to coastal waterfowl. Brain and muscle tissue had similar concentrations of THg in the birds examined, but both of these tissues had lower concentrations that those found in blood. Our results, and that of a previous study, suggest that body condition has a large influence on blood THg concentrations and should be considered when using blood as a sampling medium. Many of the species we examined had tissue THg above levels known to cause deleterious, sublethal effects in some species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark L Mallory
- Biology, Acadia University, 15 University Drive, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6; Canada Fulbright Chair in Arctic Studies, University of Washington, Box 353650, Seattle, WA 98195-3560, USA.
| | | | - Gregory J Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL, Canada A1N 4T3
| | - Birgit M Braune
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Carleton University, Raven Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0H3
| | - Erika R Holland
- Biology, Acadia University, 15 University Drive, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6
| | - Sara Klapstein
- Earth and Environmental Science, Acadia University, 15 University Drive, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6
| | - Kelly Stevens
- Earth and Environmental Science, Acadia University, 15 University Drive, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6
| | - Nelson J O'Driscoll
- Earth and Environmental Science, Acadia University, 15 University Drive, Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R6
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Clatterbuck CA, Lewison RL, Dodder NG, Zeeman C, Schiff K. Seabirds as regional biomonitors of legacy toxicants on an urbanized coastline. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 619-620:460-469. [PMID: 29156266 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds are often cited as sentinels of the marine environment, but are rarely used in traditional ocean and coastal contaminant monitoring. Four classes of persistent organic pollutants (POPs, n=68) and three trace elements (mercury, selenium, and arsenic) were measured in the eggs of California least terns (Sterna antillarum browni), caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia), double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), and western gulls (Larus occidentalis) that nest in the Southern California Bight. Building on a periodic five year regional monitoring program, we measured contaminant exposure and assessed the utility of seabirds as regional contaminant biomonitors. We found that the eggs of larger, more piscivorous species generally had the highest concentrations of POPs and trace elements while California least terns had the lowest concentrations, except for mercury which was higher in least terns. As expected, DDT concentrations were elevated near the Palos Verdes Superfund site. However, we also detected a previously unknown latitudinal pattern in PBDE concentrations in least terns. POP congener profiles also confirmed differences in contamination in urban least tern colonies closest to urban centers. Though toxicants were at detectable levels across species and sites, concentrations were below those known to cause adverse effects in avian taxa and are steady or declining compared to previous studies in this region. Our results suggest that regional seabird monitoring can inform site-specific remediation and support management and protection of regionally-threatened wildlife and coastal systems. Integration of seabird contaminant data with traditional sediment, water, bivalve and fish monitoring is needed to further our understanding of exposure pathways and food web contaminant transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey A Clatterbuck
- San Diego State University, Biology Department, San Diego, CA, USA; University of California-Davis, Graduate Group in Ecology, Davis, CA, USA.
| | | | - Nathan G Dodder
- San Diego State University Research Foundation, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Zeeman
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish & Wildlife Office, Carlsbad, CA, USA
| | - Kenneth Schiff
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA, USA
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Kenney LA, Kaler RSA, Kissling ML, Bond AL, Eagles-Smith CA. Mercury concentrations in multiple tissues of Kittlitz's murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris). MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 129:675-680. [PMID: 29100636 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.055] [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: 02/05/2017] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a non-essential, toxic metal that is distributed worldwide. Mercury biomagnifies in food webs and can threaten the health of top predators such as seabirds. The Kittlitz's murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a seabird endemic to Alaska and the Russian Far East and is a species of conservation concern in the region. We determined Hg concentrations in eggshells, guano, blood, and feathers of Kittlitz's murrelets sampled from four locations in Alaska. Mercury concentrations in eggshells, guano, and blood were low compared to other seabird species. Mean Hg concentrations of breast feathers from Adak Island and Glacier Bay were significantly greater than those from Agattu Island or Icy Bay. Two Kittlitz's murrelets at Glacier Bay and one Kittlitz's murrelet at Adak Island had Hg concentrations above those associated with impaired reproduction in other bird species, and may merit further investigation as a potential threat to individuals and populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Alexander L Bond
- Ardenna Research, Potton, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2QA, United Kingdom
| | - Collin A Eagles-Smith
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR, USA
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36
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Movalli P, Bode P, Dekker R, Fornasari L, van der Mije S, Yosef R. Retrospective biomonitoring of mercury and other elements in museum feathers of common kestrel Falco tinnunculus using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 24:25986-26005. [PMID: 28942505 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0157-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the potential to use instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to explore temporal and geographical variation in exposure to heavy metals and other selected elements in common kestrel Falco tinnunculus using feathers from a natural history collection. The study gathered samples of two breast feathers from each of 16 adult male kestrel specimens from Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, collected in The Netherlands between 1901 and 2001. Feather samples were analysed for more than 50 elements, using INAA at the Reactor Institute Delft. Results (in mg/kg dw) were transformed into ratios of milligram of element per millimetre of feather length. The distribution of the mass fractions and ratios was plotted for each element against time and by geographical area. Observed mass fractions and/or ratios are discussed for selected elements (Hg, Cd, Zn, Pt, Pd, Se, Al, Rb, As, Sb, Cr, V, Cl, Br) known to have, at certain concentrations, adverse effects on raptors. Some samples show mass fractions of certain elements (Cr, Cd, Se, As) above levels known to have adverse effects. We conclude that the analysis of museum feathers using INAA provides reference values for concentrations of selected elements, including those of high societal concern such as Hg and Cd, against which to assess concentrations of these elements in feathers of present-day living raptor populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Movalli
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, Netherlands.
| | - Peter Bode
- Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB, Delft, Netherlands
| | - René Dekker
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Reuven Yosef
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Eilat Campus, 8499000, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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37
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Alava JJ, Cheung WWL, Ross PS, Sumaila UR. Climate change-contaminant interactions in marine food webs: Toward a conceptual framework. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:3984-4001. [PMID: 28212462 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is reshaping the way in which contaminants move through the global environment, in large part by changing the chemistry of the oceans and affecting the physiology, health, and feeding ecology of marine biota. Climate change-associated impacts on structure and function of marine food webs, with consequent changes in contaminant transport, fate, and effects, are likely to have significant repercussions to those human populations that rely on fisheries resources for food, recreation, or culture. Published studies on climate change-contaminant interactions with a focus on food web bioaccumulation were systematically reviewed to explore how climate change and ocean acidification may impact contaminant levels in marine food webs. We propose here a conceptual framework to illustrate the impacts of climate change on contaminant accumulation in marine food webs, as well as the downstream consequences for ecosystem goods and services. The potential impacts on social and economic security for coastal communities that depend on fisheries for food are discussed. Climate change-contaminant interactions may alter the bioaccumulation of two priority contaminant classes: the fat-soluble persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as the protein-binding methylmercury (MeHg). These interactions include phenomena deemed to be either climate change dominant (i.e., climate change leads to an increase in contaminant exposure) or contaminant dominant (i.e., contamination leads to an increase in climate change susceptibility). We illustrate the pathways of climate change-contaminant interactions using case studies in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. The important role of ecological and food web modeling to inform decision-making in managing ecological and human health risks of chemical pollutants contamination under climate change is also highlighted. Finally, we identify the need to develop integrated policies that manage the ecological and socioeconomic risk of greenhouse gases and marine pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan José Alava
- Global Fisheries Cluster, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Ocean Pollution Research Program, Coastal Ocean Research Institute, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William W L Cheung
- Global Fisheries Cluster, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Peter S Ross
- Ocean Pollution Research Program, Coastal Ocean Research Institute, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - U Rashid Sumaila
- Global Fisheries Cluster, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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38
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Gilg O, Istomina L, Heygster G, Strøm H, Gavrilo MV, Mallory ML, Gilchrist G, Aebischer A, Sabard B, Huntemann M, Mosbech A, Yannic G. Living on the edge of a shrinking habitat: the ivory gull, Pagophila eburnea, an endangered sea-ice specialist. Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0277. [PMID: 27807248 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing decline of sea ice threatens many Arctic taxa, including the ivory gull. Understanding how ice-edges and ice concentrations influence the distribution of the endangered ivory gulls is a prerequisite to the implementation of adequate conservation strategies. From 2007 to 2013, we used satellite transmitters to monitor the movements of 104 ivory gulls originating from Canada, Greenland, Svalbard-Norway and Russia. Although half of the positions were within 41 km of the ice-edge (75% within 100 km), approximately 80% were on relatively highly concentrated sea ice. Ivory gulls used more concentrated sea ice in summer, when close to their high-Arctic breeding ground, than in winter. The best model to explain the distance of the birds from the ice-edge included the ice concentration within approximately 10 km, the month and the distance to the colony. Given the strong links between ivory gull, ice-edge and ice concentration, its conservation status is unlikely to improve in the current context of sea-ice decline which, in turn, will allow anthropogenic activities to develop in regions that are particularly important for the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Gilg
- Université de Bourgogne Franche Comté, UMR 6282 Biogéosciences, 21000 Dijon, France .,Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique (GREA), 21440 Francheville, France
| | - Larysa Istomina
- Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Georg Heygster
- Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hallvard Strøm
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Mark L Mallory
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 2R6
| | - Grant Gilchrist
- Environment Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adrian Aebischer
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique (GREA), 21440 Francheville, France
| | - Brigitte Sabard
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique (GREA), 21440 Francheville, France
| | - Marcus Huntemann
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Anders Mosbech
- Department of Bioscience and Arctic Research Center, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Glenn Yannic
- Groupe de Recherche en Ecologie Arctique (GREA), 21440 Francheville, France.,Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, 73376 Le Bourget-Du-Lac, France
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39
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Mott R, Herrod A, Clarke RH. Post-breeding dispersal of frigatebirds increases their exposure to mercury. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2017; 119:204-210. [PMID: 28377135 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.03.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Migration and dispersal can expose wildlife to threats in different parts of their range, particularly for localized anthropogenic threats. Wildlife exposure to metal contaminants may correlate with local anthropogenic emissions. Feather mercury concentrations of adult and juvenile Lesser Frigatebirds (Fregata ariel) and Great Frigatebirds (F. minor) were determined for individuals breeding in the eastern Indian Ocean. Low mercury concentration in juveniles relative to adults, higher mercury concentration in adult females than adult males, and a trend for Lesser Frigatebirds to have higher mercury concentration than Great Frigatebirds implicate non-breeding ground exposure as the major influence on mercury burden. Aspects of foraging ecology are congruent with high exposure occurring in inshore waters of the non-breeding range, particularly in the South China Sea. These findings highlight the need for tighter mercury emission regulations in southeast Asia to minimise the potential threat to frigatebirds and other species dependent on marine resources including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowan Mott
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Ashley Herrod
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rohan H Clarke
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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40
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Drevnick PE, Brooks BA. Mercury in tunas and blue marlin in the North Pacific Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2017; 36:1365-1374. [PMID: 28264147 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Models and data from the North Pacific Ocean indicate that mercury concentrations in water and biota are increasing in response to (global or hemispheric) anthropogenic mercury releases. In the present study, we provide an updated record of mercury in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) caught near Hawaii that confirms an earlier conclusion that mercury concentrations in these fish are increasing at a rate similar to that observed in waters shallower than 1000 m. We also compiled and reanalyzed data from bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) caught near Hawaii in the 1970s and 2000s. Increases in mercury concentrations in bigeye tuna are consistent with the trend found in yellowfin tuna, in both timing and magnitude. The data available for blue marlin do not allow for a fair comparison among years, because mercury concentrations differ between sexes for this species, and sex was identified (or reported) in only 3 of 7 studies. Also, mercury concentrations in blue marlin may be insensitive to modest changes in mercury exposure, because this species appears to have the ability to detoxify mercury. The North Pacific Ocean is a region of both relatively high rates of atmospheric mercury deposition and capture fisheries production. Other data sets that allow temporal comparisons in mercury concentrations, such as pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in Alaskan waters and albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) off the US Pacific coast, should be explored further, to aid in understanding human health and ecological risks and to develop additional baseline knowledge for assessing changes in a region expected to respond strongly to reductions in anthropogenic mercury emissions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1365-1374. © 2017 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Drevnick
- University of Michigan Biological Station and School of Natural Resources and Environment, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Environmental Monitoring and Science Division, Alberta Environment and Parks, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Barbara A Brooks
- Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office, Hawaii Department of Health, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Becker DJ, Chumchal MM, Bentz AB, Platt SG, Czirják GÁ, Rainwater TR, Altizer S, Streicker DG. Predictors and immunological correlates of sublethal mercury exposure in vampire bats. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170073. [PMID: 28484633 PMCID: PMC5414270 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a pervasive heavy metal that often enters the environment from anthropogenic sources such as gold mining and agriculture. Chronic exposure to Hg can impair immune function, reducing the ability of animals to resist or recover from infections. How Hg influences immunity and susceptibility remains unknown for bats, which appear immunologically distinct from other mammals and are reservoir hosts of many pathogens of importance to human and animal health. We here quantify total Hg (THg) in hair collected from common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), which feed on blood and are the main reservoir hosts of rabies virus in Latin America. We examine how diet, sampling site and year, and bat demography influence THg and test the consequences of this variation for eight immune measures. In two populations from Belize, THg concentrations in bats were best explained by an interaction between long-term diet inferred from stable isotopes and year. Bats that foraged more consistently on domestic animals exhibited higher THg. However, relationships between diet and THg were evident only in 2015 but not in 2014, which could reflect recent environmental perturbations associated with agriculture. THg concentrations were low relative to values previously observed in other bat species but still correlated with bat immunity. Bats with higher THg had more neutrophils, weaker bacterial killing ability and impaired innate immunity. These patterns suggest that temporal variation in Hg exposure may impair bat innate immunity and increase susceptibility to pathogens such as bacteria. Unexpected associations between low-level Hg exposure and immune function underscore the need to better understand the environmental sources of Hg exposure in bats and the consequences for bat immunity and susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Becker
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Disease, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- e-mail:
| | | | | | - Steven G. Platt
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Myanmar Program, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - Gábor Á. Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas R. Rainwater
- Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Clemson University, Georgetown, SC, USA
| | - Sonia Altizer
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Disease, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Daniel G. Streicker
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK
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Pollet IL, Leonard ML, O'Driscoll NJ, Burgess NM, Shutler D. Relationships between blood mercury levels, reproduction, and return rate in a small seabird. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:97-103. [PMID: 27888383 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-016-1745-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous heavy metal that occurs naturally in the environment, but its levels have been supplemented for decades by a variety of human activities. Mercury can have serious deleterious effects on a variety of organisms, with top predators being particularly susceptible because methylmercury bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in food webs. Among birds, seabirds can have especially high levels of Hg contamination and Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), in particular, have amongst the highest known levels. Several populations of Leach's storm-petrels have declined recently in the Northwest Atlantic. The causes of these declines remain uncertain, but the toxic effects of Hg could be a potential factor in this decline. Here, we tested for relationships between adult blood total Hg (THg) concentration and several offspring development parameters, and adult return rate of Leach's storm-petrels breeding on Bon Portage Island (43° 28' N, 65° 44' W), Nova Scotia, Canada, between 2011 and 2015 (blood samples n = 20, 36, 6, 15, and 13 for each year, respectively). Overall, THg levels were elevated (0.78 ± 0.43 μg/g wet wt.) compared to other species of seabirds in this region, and varied significantly among years. However, we found no associations between THg levels and reproductive parameters or adult return rate. Our results indicate that levels of mercury observed in Leach's storm-petrel blood, although elevated, appear not to adversely affect their offspring development or adult return rate on Bon Portage Island.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid L Pollet
- Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada.
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
| | - Marty L Leonard
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | | | - Neil M Burgess
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, NL, A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - Dave Shutler
- Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
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Strekopytov S, Brownscombe W, Lapinee C, Sykes D, Spratt J, Jeffries TE, Jones CG. Arsenic and mercury in bird feathers: Identification and quantification of inorganic pesticide residues in natural history collections using multiple analytical and imaging techniques. Microchem J 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2016.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Luengen AC, Foslund HM, Greenfield BK. Decline in methylmercury in museum-preserved bivalves from San Francisco Bay, California. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 572:782-793. [PMID: 27622695 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.070] [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: 03/26/2016] [Revised: 07/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
There are ongoing efforts to manage mercury and nutrient pollution in San Francisco Bay (California, USA), but historical data on biological responses are limited. We used bivalves preserved in formalin or ethanol from museum collections to investigate long-term trends in methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations and carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. In the southern reach of the estuary, South Bay, MeHg in the Asian date mussel (Musculista senhousia) significantly declined over the study duration (1970 to 2012). Mean MeHg concentrations were highest (218ng/g dry weight, dw) in 1975 and declined 3.8-fold (to 57ng/g dw) by 2012. This decrease corresponded with closure of the New Almaden Mercury Mines and was consistent with previously observed declines in sediment core mercury concentrations. In contrast, across all sites, MeHg in the overbite clam (Potamocorbula amurensis) increased 1.3-fold from 64ng/g dw before 2000 to 81ng/g dw during the 2000s and was higher than in M. senhousia. Pearson correlation coefficients of the association between MeHg and δ13C or δ15N provided no evidence that food web alterations explained changing MeHg concentrations. However, isotopic composition shifted temporally. South Bay bivalve δ15N increased from 12‰ in the 1970s to 18‰ in 2012. This increase corresponded with increasing nitrogen loadings from wastewater treatment plants until the late 1980s and increasing phytoplankton biomass from the 1990s to 2012. Similarly, a 3‰ decline in δ13C from 2002 to 2012 may represent greater utilization of planktonic food sources. In a complimentary 90day laboratory study to validate use of these preserved specimens, preservation had only minor effects (<0.5‰) on δ13C and δ15N. MeHg increased following preservation but then stabilized. These are the first documented long-term trends in biota MeHg and stable isotopes in this heavily impacted estuary and support the utility of preserved specimens to infer contaminant and biogeochemical trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison C Luengen
- Environmental Sciences Department, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA.
| | - Heather M Foslund
- Environmental Sciences Department, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA.
| | - Ben K Greenfield
- Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 50 University Hall #7360, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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Wheeler HC, Berteaux D, Furgal C, Parlee B, Yoccoz NG, Grémillet D. Stakeholder Perspectives on Triage in Wildlife Monitoring in a Rapidly Changing Arctic. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Lucia M, Strøm H, Bustamante P, Gabrielsen GW. Trace Element Concentrations in Relation to the Trophic Behaviour of Endangered Ivory Gulls (Pagophila eburnea) During Their Stay at a Breeding Site in Svalbard. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2016; 71:518-529. [PMID: 27744522 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-016-0320-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The ivory gull is a high-Arctic species considered endangered in most parts of its breeding range. Ivory gulls must cope with both the reduction of sea ice cover triggered by climate change and increasing contaminant loads due to changes in global contaminant pathways. The objective of this study was to assess the concentration of 14 essential and nonessential trace elements at four colonies of ivory gulls breeding on Barentsøya, Svalbard, and the relationship between contaminant exposure and the diet of individuals. Contaminants and stable isotopes (δ15N, δ13C) were determined in blood (red blood cells and whole blood), and feathers of ivory gulls collected over several years. The most quantitatively abundant nonessential trace element found in the ivory gull was mercury (Hg). Selenium (Se) was present in substantial surplus compared with Hg, which would imply relative protection against Hg toxic effects but raises concern about Se potential toxicity. Moreover, other elements were detected, such as silver, arsenic, cadmium, and lead, which would warrant monitoring because of the potential additive/synergetic effects of these compounds. This study demonstrated individual differences in trophic behaviour that triggered discrepancies in Hg concentrations, highlighting the potential biomagnifying ability of this metal in the ivory gull's food web. Results highlighted the mixing of birds coming from different geographical areas on Barentsøya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Lucia
- FRAM High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Norwegian Polar Institute, 6606, Langnes, 9296, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Hallvard Strøm
- FRAM High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Norwegian Polar Institute, 6606, Langnes, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement Et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Geir W Gabrielsen
- FRAM High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Norwegian Polar Institute, 6606, Langnes, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
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Góngora E, Cadena CD, Dussán J. Toxic metals and associated sporulated bacteria on Andean hummingbird feathers. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 23:22968-22979. [PMID: 27581044 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7506-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Human activities in the Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia, release toxic metals such as lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) into the environment polluting the air, water, and soil. Because birds are in contact with these pollutants and their sources, they may serve as bioindicator organisms. We evaluated the use of hummingbird feathers obtained from individuals captured in three sites of the Sabana de Bogotá as bioindicators of toxic metal pollution using spectrophotometric and spectroscopic methods based on single-feather samples. We also characterized the bacterial microbiota associated with hummingbird feathers by molecular identification using the 16S rRNA with a special focus on sporulated bacteria. Finally, we described the interactions which naturally occur among the feathers, their associated bacteria, and pollutants. We found differences in Pb and Cr concentrations between sampling sites, which ranged from 2.11 to 4.69 ppm and 0.38 to 3.00 ppm, respectively. This may reflect the impact of the activities held in those sites which release pollutants to the environment. Bacterial assemblages mainly consisted of sporulated bacilli in the Bacillaceae family (65.7 % of the identified morphotypes). We conclude that the feathers of wild tropical birds, including hummingbirds, can be used as lead and chromium bioindicators and that bacteria growing on feathers may in fact interact with these two toxic metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Góngora
- Centro de Investigaciones Microbiológicas (CIMIC), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18 A - 10, J-206, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Carlos Daniel Cadena
- Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva de Vertebrados, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18 A - 10, A-309, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jenny Dussán
- Centro de Investigaciones Microbiológicas (CIMIC), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18 A - 10, J-206, Bogotá, Colombia.
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Ackerman JT, Eagles-Smith CA, Herzog MP, Hartman CA, Peterson SH, Evers DC, Jackson AK, Elliott JE, Vander Pol SS, Bryan CE. Avian mercury exposure and toxicological risk across western North America: A synthesis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 568:749-769. [PMID: 27093907 PMCID: PMC5365029 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury contamination of the environment is an important issue globally, and birds are useful bioindicators for mercury monitoring programs. The available data on mercury contamination of birds in western North America were synthesized. Original data from multiple databases were obtained and a literature review was conducted to obtain additional mercury concentrations. In total, 29219 original bird mercury concentrations from 225 species were compiled, and an additional 1712 mean mercury concentrations, representing 19998 individuals and 176 species, from 200 publications were obtained. To make mercury data comparable across bird tissues, published equations of tissue mercury correlations were used to convert all mercury concentrations into blood-equivalent mercury concentrations. Blood-equivalent mercury concentrations differed among species, foraging guilds, habitat types, locations, and ecoregions. Piscivores and carnivores exhibited the greatest mercury concentrations, whereas herbivores and granivores exhibited the lowest mercury concentrations. Bird mercury concentrations were greatest in ocean and salt marsh habitats and lowest in terrestrial habitats. Bird mercury concentrations were above toxicity benchmarks in many areas throughout western North America, and multiple hotspots were identified. Additionally, published toxicity benchmarks established in multiple tissues were summarized and translated into a common blood-equivalent mercury concentration. Overall, 66% of birds sampled in western North American exceeded a blood-equivalent mercury concentration of 0.2 μg/g wet weight (ww; above background levels), which is the lowest-observed effect level, 28% exceeded 1.0 μg/g ww (moderate risk), 8% exceeded 3.0 μg/g ww (high risk), and 4% exceeded 4.0 μg/g ww (severe risk). Mercury monitoring programs should sample bird tissues, such as adult blood and eggs, that are most-easily translated into tissues with well-developed toxicity benchmarks and that are directly relevant to bird reproduction. Results indicate that mercury contamination of birds is prevalent in many areas throughout western North America, and large-scale ecological attributes are important factors influencing bird mercury concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, California 95620, United States.
| | - Collin A Eagles-Smith
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, United States
| | - Mark P Herzog
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, California 95620, United States
| | - C Alex Hartman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, California 95620, United States
| | - Sarah H Peterson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, California 95620, United States
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, Maine, 04103, United States
| | - Allyson K Jackson
- Oregon State University, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, United States
| | - John E Elliott
- Environment Canada, Science and Technology Branch, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Delta, British Columbia, V4K 3N2, Canada
| | - Stacy S Vander Pol
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, South Carolina, 29412, United States
| | - Colleen E Bryan
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, South Carolina, 29412, United States
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Fournier AMV, Welsh KJ, Polito M, Emslie SD, Brasso R. Levels of Mercury in Feathers of Clapper Rails (Rallus crepitans) over 45 Years in Coastal Salt Marshes of New Hanover County, North Carolina. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2016; 97:469-473. [PMID: 27370821 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-016-1870-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We sampled clapper rail (Rallus crepitans) feathers from museum specimens collected between 1965 and 2010 to investigate changes in mercury (Hg) availability in coastal marshes of New Hanover County, North Carolina. Stable isotope analysis (δ(13)C and δ(15)N) was conducted to control for dietary shifts that may have influenced Hg exposure. Hg concentrations ranged from 0.96 to 9.22 μg/g (ppm), but showed no significant trend over time; diet (δ(15)N) or foraging habitat (δ(13)C) also provided little to no explanatory power to the variation in Hg concentrations among clapper rails. Our findings suggest the bioavailability of Hg to clapper rails in coastal North Carolina salt marshes has remained consistent over time, despite the global trend of increasing mercury in many other bird species, providing an excellent baseline for any future assessment of Hg availability to salt marsh birds in coastal North Carolina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auriel M V Fournier
- Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
| | - Kyle James Welsh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 116 Street and 85 Avenue, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Michael Polito
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, 1239 Energy, Coast and Environment Building, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Steven D Emslie
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA
| | - Rebecka Brasso
- Department of Biology, Southeast Missouri State University, One University Plaza, MS 6200, Cape Girardeau, MO, 63701, USA
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50
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Spencer NC, Gilchrist HG, Strøm H, Allard KA, Mallory ML. Key winter habitat of the ivory gull Pagophila eburnea in the Canadian Arctic. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2016. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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