Integument carotenoid-based colouration reflects contamination to perfluoroalkyl substances, but not mercury, in arctic black-legged kittiwakes

• Published in: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
• Main Authors: Costantini, David, Blévin, Pierre, Bustnes, Jan Ove, Esteve, Valérie, Gabrielsen, Geir Wing, Herzke, Dorte, Humann-Guilleminot, Ségolène, Moe, Børge, Parenteau, Charline, Récapet, Charlotte, Bustamante, Paco, Chastel, Olivier
• Other Authors: Physiologie moléculaire et adaptation (PhyMA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Akvaplan-niva AS, 9296 Tromsø, Norway, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Norwegian Polar Institute, Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecophysiology, Institute of Biology Neuchâtel, Switzerland, University of Neuchâtel, LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ecologie Comportementale et Biologie des Populations de Poissons (ECOBIOP), Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (UPPA)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (M.E.N.E.S.R.), Institut Polaire Français (project 330 to OC), Contrat Plan-Etat Région (ECONAT), ANR-16-CE34-0005,ILETOP,Impact des polluants historiques et émergents sur les prédateurs supérieurs marins de l'Arctique(2016)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: sexual selection; stressors; carotenoids; mate choice; mercury; PFAS; PFOSlin; seabirds; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Arctic; rissa tridactyla
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03812162; https://hal.science/hal-03812162/document; https://hal.science/hal-03812162/file/fevo-10-952765.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.952765

International audience Anthropogenic activities are introducing multiple chemical contaminants into ecosystems that act as stressors for wildlife. Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and mercury (Hg) are two relevant contaminants that may cause detrimental effects on the fitness of many aquatic organisms. However, there is a lack of information on their impact on the expression of secondary sexual signals that animals use for mate choice. We have explored the correlations between integument carotenoid-based colourations, blood levels of carotenoids, and blood levels of seven PFAS and of total Hg (THg) in 50 adult male black-legged kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ) from the Norwegian Arctic during the pre-laying period, while controlling for other colouration influencing variables such as testosterone and body condition. Kittiwakes with elevated blood concentrations of PFAS (PFOSlin, PFNA, PFDcA, PFUnA, or PFDoA) had less chromatic but brighter bills, and brighter gape and tongue; PFOSlin was the pollutant with the strongest association with bill colourations. Conversely, plasma testosterone was the only significant correlate of hue and chroma of both gape and tongue, and of hue of the bill. Kittiwakes with higher concentrations of any PFAS, but not of THg, tended to have significantly higher plasma concentrations of the carotenoids astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, and cryptoxanthin. Our work provides the first correlative evidence that PFAS exposure might interfere with the carotenoid metabolism and the expression of integument carotenoid-based colourations in a free-living bird species. This outcome may be a direct effect of PFAS exposure or be indirectly caused by components of diet that also correlate with elevated PFAS concentrations (e.g., proteins). It also suggests that there might be no additive effect of THg co-exposure with PFAS on the expression of colourations. These results call for further work on the possible interference of PFAS with the expression of colourations used in mate choice.