Telomere length in relation to persistent organic pollutant exposure in white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) nestlings from Sweden sampled in 1995–2013

• Published in: Environmental Research
• Main Authors: Hansen, Elisabeth, Skotnes, Tove, Bustnes, Jan Ove, Helander, Björn, Eulaers, Igor, Sun, Jiachen, Covaci, Adrian, Bårdsen, Bård-Jørgen, Zahn, Sandrine, Criscuolo, Francois, Bourgeon, Sophie
• Other Authors: The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø, Norway (UiT), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Swedish Museum of Natural History (NRM), Aarhus University Aarhus, Jinan University Guangzhou, Universiteit Antwerpen = University of Antwerpen Antwerpen, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE-IPHC), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar (Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA))-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: Baltic sea; Biomarker; Molecular endpoin; t Organohalogenated contaminants; Raptor; Sentinel species; [SDV.TOX.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Toxicology/Ecotoxicology; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Haliaeetus albicilla; White-tailed eagle
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03538683; https://hal.science/hal-03538683/document; https://hal.science/hal-03538683/file/1-s2.0-S0013935122000391-main.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.112712

International audience Telomeres are used as biomarkers of vertebrate health because of the link between their length, lifespan, and survival. Exposure to environmental stressors appears to alter telomere dynamics, but little is known about telomere length and persistent organic pollutant (POP) exposure in wildlife. The white-tailed eagle (WTE; Haliaeetus albicilla) is an avian top predator that accumulates high levels of POPs and may subsequently suffer adverse health effects. Here we study the Baltic WTE population that is well documented to have been exposed to large contaminant burdens, thereby making it a promising candidate species for analyzing pollutant-mediated effects on telomeres. We investigated telomere lengths in WTE nestlings (n = 168) over 19 years and examined legacy POP concentrations (organochlorines and polybrominated diphenyl ethers) in whole blood and serum as potential drivers of differences in telomere length. Although we detected significant year-to-year variations in telomere lengths among the WTE nestlings, telomere lengths did not correlate with any of the investigated POP concentrations of several classes. Given that telomere lengths did not associate with POP contamination in the Baltic WTE nestlings, we propose that other environmental and biological factors, which likely fluctuate on a year-to-year basis, could be more important drivers of telomere lengths in this population.