Mercury（Hg） remains a key contaminant of concern in Arctic biota, and monitoring of Hg concentrations in seabird tissues will be an effective approach to track the effects of implementing the Minamata Convention. We...Mercury（Hg） remains a key contaminant of concern in Arctic biota, and monitoring of Hg concentrations in seabird tissues will be an effective approach to track the effects of implementing the Minamata Convention. We examined trends in total Hg（THg） in liver and egg tissues of two Arctic seabirds, thick-billed murres（Uria lomvia） and northern fulmars（Fulmarus glacialis）, between 1976 and 2013 to assess whether both tissues showed similar patterns of Hg change. Hepatic THg was consistently higher than egg THg, and both species had similar egg THg concentrations, but fulmars had higher hepatic THg than murres.Murre THg concentrations showed more relative variation through time than fulmars.We suggest that egg THg better reflects exposure of birds to THg in local, Arctic prey,whereas liver THg may incorporate longer term, year-round THg exposure. Additional analysis of THg distribution in Arctic seabirds post-laying would help inform interpretation of long-term trends.展开更多
Through ingestion and subsequent egestion,Arctic seabirds can bioaccumulate microplastics at and around their colony breeding sites.While microplastics in Arctic seabirds have been well documented,it is not yet unders...Through ingestion and subsequent egestion,Arctic seabirds can bioaccumulate microplastics at and around their colony breeding sites.While microplastics in Arctic seabirds have been well documented,it is not yet understood to what extent these particles can act as transport vehicles for plastic-associated contaminants,including legacy persistent organic pollutants(POPs),trace metals,and organic additives.We investigated the occurrence and pattern of organic and inorganic co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic-northern fulmar(Fulmarus glacialis)and black-legged kittiwake(Rissa tridactyla).We found that fulmars had higher levels of plastic contamination and emerging organic compounds(known to be plastic additives)than kittiwakes,whereas higher concentrations of legacy POPs were found in kittiwakes than the fulmars.Furthermore,fulmars,the species with the much larger foraging range(~200 km),had higher plastic pollution and overall contaminant burdens,indicating that birds may be acting as long-range transport vectors for plasticassociated pollution.Our results suggest a potential connection between plastic additive contamination and plastic pollution burdens in the bird stomachs,highlighting the importance of treating plastic particles and plastic-associated organic additives as co-contaminants rather than separate pollution issues.展开更多
基金provided by Environment and Climate Change Canadathe Northern Contaminants Program of IndigenousNorthern Affairs Canada (1617-HQ-000221)
文摘Mercury（Hg） remains a key contaminant of concern in Arctic biota, and monitoring of Hg concentrations in seabird tissues will be an effective approach to track the effects of implementing the Minamata Convention. We examined trends in total Hg（THg） in liver and egg tissues of two Arctic seabirds, thick-billed murres（Uria lomvia） and northern fulmars（Fulmarus glacialis）, between 1976 and 2013 to assess whether both tissues showed similar patterns of Hg change. Hepatic THg was consistently higher than egg THg, and both species had similar egg THg concentrations, but fulmars had higher hepatic THg than murres.Murre THg concentrations showed more relative variation through time than fulmars.We suggest that egg THg better reflects exposure of birds to THg in local, Arctic prey,whereas liver THg may incorporate longer term, year-round THg exposure. Additional analysis of THg distribution in Arctic seabirds post-laying would help inform interpretation of long-term trends.
基金supported by Environment and Climate Change Canada,the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board,the Northern Contaminants Program(M-08 and M-74)the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Department,and Acadia University.
文摘Through ingestion and subsequent egestion,Arctic seabirds can bioaccumulate microplastics at and around their colony breeding sites.While microplastics in Arctic seabirds have been well documented,it is not yet understood to what extent these particles can act as transport vehicles for plastic-associated contaminants,including legacy persistent organic pollutants(POPs),trace metals,and organic additives.We investigated the occurrence and pattern of organic and inorganic co-contaminants of microplastics in two seabird species from the Canadian Arctic-northern fulmar(Fulmarus glacialis)and black-legged kittiwake(Rissa tridactyla).We found that fulmars had higher levels of plastic contamination and emerging organic compounds(known to be plastic additives)than kittiwakes,whereas higher concentrations of legacy POPs were found in kittiwakes than the fulmars.Furthermore,fulmars,the species with the much larger foraging range(~200 km),had higher plastic pollution and overall contaminant burdens,indicating that birds may be acting as long-range transport vectors for plasticassociated pollution.Our results suggest a potential connection between plastic additive contamination and plastic pollution burdens in the bird stomachs,highlighting the importance of treating plastic particles and plastic-associated organic additives as co-contaminants rather than separate pollution issues.
