Birds as Bioindicators of Pollution in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments

• Main Author: Cotín Martínez, Javier
• Other Authors: Sanpera Trigueros, Carola, Jover Armengol, Lluís de, Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Universitat de Barcelona 2012
• Subjects: Isòtops estables en ecologia; Isótopos estables en ecología; Stable isotopes in ecological research; Metalls pesants; Metales pesados; Heavy metals; Indicadors biològics; Indicadores biológicos; Indicators (Biology); Ciències Experimentals i Matemàtiques; 59; Common tern
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/101099

Birds have been widely used as bioindicators. In this study we face the use of birds as bioindicators of metal pollution in two different scenarios of contamination: one that takes place in an aquatic environment, the Ebro river basin, and a second that occurs in a terrestrial environment, the Bolivian Andes. In the case of the Ebro river basin, the pollution threat is a factory located at the river bend, close to Flix, that due to its long operational activity and along with the construction of a dam next to the plant around 1960, resulted in the accumulation of 200,000–360,000 tons of industrial wastes in the riverbed, occupying an area of 700 m of length and 60 m of width. In this study case we evaluated whether aquatic birds such as the Purple Heron reflect the potential pollutant exposure from Flix Reservoir among different riverine and deltaic areas, and assess their usefulness as bioindicators. Also we examined if the polluted wastes of Flix reservoir affect the levels of pollution of the habitats where waterbird populations of the Ebro Delta (situated 90 km downstream) forage and feed. As results stable isotopes shown the high nitrification and lower carbon signatures in the river, and together with the niche width metrics, that Common and Sandwich Tern behave as strict specialists at the Ebro Delta, with narrow niche widths, while in the opposite way, Little Tern, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Night Heron and the Moorhen behave like generalists foragers, with broad niche widths. Mercury levels in nestlings of Purple Heron at Flix site and eggs of Audouin’s Gull, Little Tern and Common Tern ‘Banya’ at the Ebro Delta are high enough to be of special concern. Arsenic (specially used in combination with carbon signatures) discriminates outstandingly between marine and freshwater species. Both eggs and nestling feathers of Purple Herons are adequate bioindicators for trace element pollution, but nestling feathers present certain advantages. The six selected blood parameters (TOSC ROO*, TOSC OH*, BhCE, CbE, LDH ...