Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study.
International audience Seabirds have been used extensively as bioindicators of mercury (Hg) contamination in the marine environment, although information on flightless species like penguins remains limited. In order to assess the use of penguins as bioindicators of Hg contamination in subantarctic a...
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-00807268 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 |
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ftunivnantes:oai:HAL:hal-00807268v1 2023-05-15T13:49:56+02:00 Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study. Carravieri, Alice Bustamante, Paco Churlaud, Carine Cherel, Yves LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs) La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 2013-03-26 https://hal.science/hal-00807268 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 en eng HAL CCSD Elsevier info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/23542487 hal-00807268 https://hal.science/hal-00807268 doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 PUBMED: 23542487 ISSN: 0048-9697 EISSN: 1879-1026 Science of the Total Environment https://hal.science/hal-00807268 Science of the Total Environment, 2013, 454-455C, pp.141-148. ⟨10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060⟩ Antarctica Indian Ocean Seabird Trace element Metal Stable isotopes [SDE]Environmental Sciences info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2013 ftunivnantes https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 2023-03-08T00:01:20Z International audience Seabirds have been used extensively as bioindicators of mercury (Hg) contamination in the marine environment, although information on flightless species like penguins remains limited. In order to assess the use of penguins as bioindicators of Hg contamination in subantarctic and Antarctic marine ecosystems, Hg concentrations were evaluated in the feathers of the four species that breed on the Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. Compared to other seabirds, adult Kerguelen penguins had low to moderate feather Hg concentrations, with an average ranging from 1.96±0.41μgg(-1) dry weight in the southern rockhopper penguin to 5.85±3.00μgg(-1) dry weight in the gentoo penguin. The species was a major determinant of Hg contamination, with feather Hg concentrations being lower in the oceanic species (king and crested penguins) than in the coastal one (gentoo penguin). In all species however, feather Hg concentrations were higher in adults than in chicks, reflecting the different periods of Hg bioaccumulation in the internal tissues of the two age classes. The relationship between adult penguin trophic ecology and Hg burdens was investigated using stable isotopes. Feeding habits (reflected by δ(15)N values) had a greater effect on adult feather Hg concentrations when compared to foraging habitats (reflected by δ(13)C values), indicating Hg biomagnification in Kerguelen neritic and oceanic waters. Dietary preferences were crucial in explaining individual feather Hg concentrations, as highlighted by intra-specific variation in Hg levels of gentoo penguins sampled at two different breeding sites of the archipelago. Penguins appear to reflect Hg bioavailability reliably in their foraging environment and could serve as efficient bioindicators of Hg contamination in the Southern Ocean on different spatial and temporal scales. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Gentoo penguin Kerguelen Islands Rockhopper penguin Southern Ocean Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES Antarctic Indian Kerguelen Kerguelen Islands Southern Ocean Science of The Total Environment 454-455 141 148 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Université de Nantes: HAL-UNIV-NANTES |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnantes |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctica Indian Ocean Seabird Trace element Metal Stable isotopes [SDE]Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Antarctica Indian Ocean Seabird Trace element Metal Stable isotopes [SDE]Environmental Sciences Carravieri, Alice Bustamante, Paco Churlaud, Carine Cherel, Yves Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study. |
topic_facet |
Antarctica Indian Ocean Seabird Trace element Metal Stable isotopes [SDE]Environmental Sciences |
description |
International audience Seabirds have been used extensively as bioindicators of mercury (Hg) contamination in the marine environment, although information on flightless species like penguins remains limited. In order to assess the use of penguins as bioindicators of Hg contamination in subantarctic and Antarctic marine ecosystems, Hg concentrations were evaluated in the feathers of the four species that breed on the Kerguelen Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. Compared to other seabirds, adult Kerguelen penguins had low to moderate feather Hg concentrations, with an average ranging from 1.96±0.41μgg(-1) dry weight in the southern rockhopper penguin to 5.85±3.00μgg(-1) dry weight in the gentoo penguin. The species was a major determinant of Hg contamination, with feather Hg concentrations being lower in the oceanic species (king and crested penguins) than in the coastal one (gentoo penguin). In all species however, feather Hg concentrations were higher in adults than in chicks, reflecting the different periods of Hg bioaccumulation in the internal tissues of the two age classes. The relationship between adult penguin trophic ecology and Hg burdens was investigated using stable isotopes. Feeding habits (reflected by δ(15)N values) had a greater effect on adult feather Hg concentrations when compared to foraging habitats (reflected by δ(13)C values), indicating Hg biomagnification in Kerguelen neritic and oceanic waters. Dietary preferences were crucial in explaining individual feather Hg concentrations, as highlighted by intra-specific variation in Hg levels of gentoo penguins sampled at two different breeding sites of the archipelago. Penguins appear to reflect Hg bioavailability reliably in their foraging environment and could serve as efficient bioindicators of Hg contamination in the Southern Ocean on different spatial and temporal scales. |
author2 |
LIttoral ENvironnement et Sociétés (LIENSs) La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC) Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Carravieri, Alice Bustamante, Paco Churlaud, Carine Cherel, Yves |
author_facet |
Carravieri, Alice Bustamante, Paco Churlaud, Carine Cherel, Yves |
author_sort |
Carravieri, Alice |
title |
Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study. |
title_short |
Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study. |
title_full |
Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study. |
title_fullStr |
Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the Southern Ocean: Birds from the Kerguelen Islands as a case study. |
title_sort |
penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the southern ocean: birds from the kerguelen islands as a case study. |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-00807268 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 |
geographic |
Antarctic Indian Kerguelen Kerguelen Islands Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Indian Kerguelen Kerguelen Islands Southern Ocean |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Gentoo penguin Kerguelen Islands Rockhopper penguin Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Gentoo penguin Kerguelen Islands Rockhopper penguin Southern Ocean |
op_source |
ISSN: 0048-9697 EISSN: 1879-1026 Science of the Total Environment https://hal.science/hal-00807268 Science of the Total Environment, 2013, 454-455C, pp.141-148. ⟨10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/23542487 hal-00807268 https://hal.science/hal-00807268 doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 PUBMED: 23542487 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.060 |
container_title |
Science of The Total Environment |
container_volume |
454-455 |
container_start_page |
141 |
op_container_end_page |
148 |
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1766252530575081472 |