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McIntyre JA, O'Driscoll NJ, Spooner I, Robertson GJ, Smol JP, Mallory ML. Scavenging gulls are biovectors of mercury from industrial wastes in Nova Scotia, Canada. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 304:135279. [PMID: 35691403 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135279] [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: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds are important biovectors of contaminants, like mercury, moving them from marine to terrestrial environments around breeding colonies. This transfer of materials can have marked impacts on receiving environments and biota. Less is known about biotransport of contaminants by generalist seabirds that exploit anthropogenic wastes compared to other seabird species. In this study, we measured total mercury (THg) in O-horizon soils at four herring gull (Larus smithsoniansus) breeding colonies in southern Nova Scotia, Canada. At colonies with dry substrate, THg was significantly higher in soils collected from gull colonies compared to nearby reference soils with no nesting gulls. Further, THg was distinct in soils among study colonies and was likely influenced by biotransport from other nesting seabird species, most notably Leach's storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous). Our research suggests gulls that scavenge on anthropogenic wastes at local industrial sites are biovectors moving THg acquired at these sites to their colonies and may increase the spatial footprint of contaminants from these industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie A McIntyre
- Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada.
| | - Nelson J O'Driscoll
- Earth & Environmental Science, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Ian Spooner
- Earth & Environmental Science, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Gregory J Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL, A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - John P Smol
- Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Mark L Mallory
- Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
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Gregory BRB, Kissinger JA, Clarkson C, Kimpe LE, Eickmeyer DC, Kurek J, Smol JP, Blais JM. Are fur farms a potential source of persistent organic pollutants or mercury to nearby freshwater ecosystems? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 833:155100. [PMID: 35398138 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155100] [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: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Farming of carnivorous animals for pelts potentially contaminates nearby ecosystems because animal feed and waste may contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals. Mink farms in Nova Scotia (NS), Canada, provide mink with feed partially composed of marine fish meal. To test whether mink farms potentially contribute contaminants to nearby lakes, we quantified organochlorine pesticides (OCP), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and total mercury (THg) in mink/aquaculture feed, waste, and sediment collected from 14 lakes within rural southwest NS where mink farms are abundant and have operated for decades. Mercury, PCBs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and dieldrin were present in mink/aquaculture feed and mink waste, indicating they are potential contaminant sources. Lakes with mink farms in their catchment exhibited significantly higher THgflux than lakes downstream of mink farming activity and reference lakes (p < 0.0001) after the intensification of mink farming in 1980, indicating mink farming activity is likely associated with increased lacustrine THgflux. Sedimentary ƩPCBflux was elevated in lakes with mink farms in their catchments, suggesting possible PCB contributions from mink farming, local agriculture, and atmospheric deposition. Elevated ƩDDT in lakes near mink farms relative to reference lakes suggests a possible enrichment related to mink farming, although mixed land use and historical DDT usage related to forestry in the region complicates DDT source attribution. Maximum dieldrinflux and HCHflux in lake sediment occurred coeval with peak worldwide usage in the 1970s and are unlikely to be associated with local mink farming. Lakes with mink farming activities in their catchments were associated with increased THgflux, ƩPCBflux, and possibly ƩDDTflux, suggesting a possible connection between marine fish meal, fur farms, and aquatic ecosystems in NS.
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Affiliation(s)
- B R B Gregory
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - J A Kissinger
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - C Clarkson
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - L E Kimpe
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - D C Eickmeyer
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - J Kurek
- Department of Geography and Environment, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB E4L 1E2, Canada
| | - J P Smol
- Paleoecolgical Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - J M Blais
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
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3
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Baak JE, Mallory ML, Anderson CM, Auger-Méthé M, Macdonald CA, Janssen MH, Gilchrist HG, Provencher JF, Gutowsky SE. Inter-individual variation in the migratory behaviour of a generalist seabird, the herring gull (Larus smithsoniansus), from the Canadian Arctic. ANIMAL MIGRATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/ami-2020-0109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The Arctic is warming three times faster than the rest of the globe, causing rapid transformational changes in Arctic ecosystems. As these changes increase, understanding seabird movements will be important for predicting how they respond to climate change, and thus how we plan for conservation. Moreover, as most Arctic-breeding seabirds only spend the breeding season in the Arctic, climate change may also affect them through habitat changes in their non-breeding range. We used Global Location Sensors (GLS) to provide new insights on the movement of Arctic-breeding herring gulls (Larus smithsoniansus) in North America. We tracked gulls that wintered in the Gulf of Mexico (n = 7) or the Great Lakes (n = 1), and found that migratory routes and stopover sites varied between individuals, and between southbound and northbound migration. This inter-individual variation suggests that herring gulls, as a generalist species, can make use of an array of regions during migration, but may be more susceptible to climate change impacts in their overwintering locations than during migration. However, due to our limited sample size, future, multi-year studies are recommended to better understand the impacts of climate change on this Arctic-breeding seabird.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia E. Baak
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences , McGill University , Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, H9X 3V9 , Canada
| | - Mark L. Mallory
- Department of Biology , Acadia University , Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6 , Canada
| | - Christine M. Anderson
- Department of Biology , Carleton University , 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6
| | - Marie Auger-Méthé
- Department of Statistics, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries , University of British Columbia , Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4 , Canada
| | | | - Michael H. Janssen
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre , Carleton University , Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H3 , Canada
| | - H. Grant Gilchrist
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre , Carleton University , Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H3 , Canada
| | - Jennifer F. Provencher
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre , Carleton University , Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H3 , Canada
| | - Sarah E. Gutowsky
- Department of Biology , Acadia University , Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6 , Canada
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Gutowsky SE, Studholme KR, Ronconi RA, Allard KA, Shlepr K, Diamond AW, McIntyre J, Craik SR, Mallory ML. The influence of multiple industries on the behaviour of breeding gulls from four colonies across the eastern Gulf of Maine, Canada. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Gutowsky
- S. E. Gutowsky (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1711-4744) ✉ , J. McIntyre (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5762-8593) and M. L. Mallory (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2744-3437), Dept of Biology, Acadia Univ., Wolfville, NS, Canada
| | - Katharine R. Studholme
- K. R. Studholme (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0921-4745), Dept of Biology, Dalhousie Univ., Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Robert A. Ronconi
- R. A. Ronconi (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3635-7162), Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | - Karel A. Allard
- K. A. Allard (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7571-9365), Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Sackville, NB, Canada
| | - Katherine Shlepr
- K. Shlepr (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6046-5131), Dept of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic Univ., Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - Anthony W. Diamond
- A. W. Diamond, Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, Univ. of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Jessie McIntyre
- S. E. Gutowsky (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1711-4744) ✉ , J. McIntyre (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5762-8593) and M. L. Mallory (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2744-3437), Dept of Biology, Acadia Univ., Wolfville, NS, Canada
| | - Shawn R. Craik
- S. R. Craik (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2649-2747), Dépt des Sciences, Univ. Sainte-Anne, Pointe-de-l'Église, NS, Canada
| | - Mark L. Mallory
- S. E. Gutowsky (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1711-4744) ✉ , J. McIntyre (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5762-8593) and M. L. Mallory (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2744-3437), Dept of Biology, Acadia Univ., Wolfville, NS, Canada
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