Organochlorines, perfluoroalkyl substances, mercury, and egg incubation temperature in an Arctic seabird: Insights from data loggers

• Published in: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
• Main Authors: Blévin, Pierre, Shaffer, Scott, Bustamante, Paco, Angelier, Frédéric, Picard, Baptiste, Herzke, Dorte, Moe, Borge, Gabrielsen, Geir Wing, Bustnes, Jan Ove, Chastel, Olivier
• Other Authors: LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés - UMRi 7266 (LIENSs), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), University of California-University of California, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim (NTNU), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)-Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norvegian Polar Research Institute (NPRI), Norwegian Polar Institute, Division of Arctic Ecology (NINA), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: Hatching success; Wildlife toxicology; Brood patch; Black-legged kittiwake; Behavioral toxicology; Organic contamination; Endocrine disruptors; Trace metals; [SDV.BID]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity; Arctic; Black-legged Kittiwake; rissa tridactyla
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02011997; https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4250

International audience In birds, incubation-related behaviors and brood patch formation are influenced by hormonal regulation such asprolactin secretion. Brood patch provides efficient heat transfer between the incubating parent and the developing embryo in the egg. Importantly, several environmental contaminants are already known to have adverse effects on avian reproduction. However, relatively little is known about the effect of contaminants on incubation temperature (Tinc) in wild birds. By using temperature thermistors placed into artificial eggs, we investigated whether the most contaminated parent birds are less able to provide appropriate egg warming and thus less committed to incubating their clutch. Specifically, we investigated the relationships among 3 groups of contaminants (organochlorines, perfluoroalkyl substances [PFASs], and mercury [Hg]) with Tinc and also with prolactin concentrations and brood patch size in incubating Arctic black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). Our results reveal that among the organochlorines considered, only blood levels of oxychlordane, the main metabolite of chlordane, a banned pesticide, were negatively related to the minimum incubation temperature in male kittiwakes. Levels of PFASs and Hg were unrelated to Tinc in kittiwakes. Moreover, our study suggests a possible underlying mechanism: since we reported a significant and negative association between blood oxychlordane concentrations and the size of the brood patch in males. Finally, this reduced Tinc in the most oxychlordane-contaminated kittiwakes was associated with a lower egg hatching probability.