Mercury in Ten Storm-Petrel Populations from the Antarctic to the Subtropics ...

• Main Authors: Quillfeldt, Petra, Bedolla-Guzmán, Yuliana, Libertelli, Marcela M., Cherel, Yves, Massaro, Melanie, Bustamante, Paco, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universitätsbibliothek Gießen 2023
• Subjects: ddc570; ddc590; Antarctic; Kerguelen; Kerguelen Islands; New Zealand; Pacific; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-18341; https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de//handle/jlupub/18980

The oceans become increasingly contaminated as a result of global industrial production and consumer behaviour, and this affects wildlife in areas far removed from sources of pollution. Migratory seabirds such as storm-petrels may forage in areas with different contaminant levels throughout the annual cycle and may show a carry-over of mercury from the winter quarters to the breeding sites. In this study, we compared mercury levels among seven species of storm-petrels breeding on the Antarctic South Shetlands and subantarctic Kerguelen Islands, in temperate waters of the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, and in temperate waters of the Pacific off Mexico. We tested for differences in the level of contamination associated with breeding and inter-breeding distribution and trophic position. We collected inert body feathers and metabolically active blood samples in ten colonies, reflecting long-term (feathers) and short-term (blood) exposures during different periods ranging from early non-breeding (moult) to late ...