Mercury and stable isotopes portray colony-specific foraging grounds in southern rockhopper penguins over the Patagonian Shelf

• Published in: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Main Authors: Lois, Nicolás Alejandro, Balza, Ulises, Brasso, Rebecka, Dodino, Samanta Graciela, Pütz, Klemens, Polito, Michael J., Riccialdelli, Luciana, Ciancio Blanc, Javier Ernesto, Quillfeldt, Petra, Mahler, Bettina, Raya Rey, Andrea Nélida
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: BIOACCUMULATION; FEATHERS; MERCURY HOTSPOT; SEABIRDS; SOUTHWEST ATLANTIC; TROPHIC POSITION; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1; Antarctic; Austral; Argentina; Ulises; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/204066

Mercury pollution is a serious global environmental issue and the characterization of its distribution and its driving forces should be urgently included in research agendas. We report unusually high mercury (Hg) concentrations (>5 μg/g) along with stable isotopes values in feathers of southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) from colonies in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. We found a highly heterogenous prevalence of Hg throughout the study area and over a three-fold higher mean Hg concentration in southernmost colonies. Variation in Hg concentrations among colonies is primarily explained by site, rather than by trophic position. We provide further support to the existence of a Hg hotspot in the food web of the Patagonian Shelf and spatially restrict it to the southern tip of South America. Our findings highlight the need for regional and colony-based seabird conservation management when high local variability and plasticity in foraging habits is evident. Fil: Lois, Nicolás Alejandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Balza, Ulises. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina Fil: Brasso, Rebecka. Weber State University; Estados Unidos Fil: Dodino, Samanta Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina Fil: Pütz, Klemens. Antarctic Research Trust; Islas Malvinas Fil: Polito, Michael J. Louisiana State University Estados Unidos Fil: Riccialdelli, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. ...