Ecotoxicological suitability of floodplain habitats in the Netherlands for the little owl (Athene noctua vidalli)

This study describes the actual risks of exposure to contaminants, which little owls (Athene noctua vidalli) face in Dutch river floodplains. The results indicate that PCBs pose a risk: not only are levels in little owls from floodplains higher than levels found in little owls from a reference site...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Pollution
Main Authors: van den Brink, N.W., Groen, N.M., de Jonge, J., Bosveld, A.T.C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2003
Subjects:
accumulation
eisenia-foetida
feathers
heavy-metal
lumbricus-terrestris
metal contamination
organochlorine
polychlorinated-biphenyls
terns sterna-hirundo
toxicity
Sterna hirundo
Online Access:https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/ecotoxicological-suitability-of-floodplain-habitats-in-the-nether
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(02)00275-0
Description
Summary:This study describes the actual risks of exposure to contaminants, which little owls (Athene noctua vidalli) face in Dutch river floodplains. The results indicate that PCBs pose a risk: not only are levels in little owls from floodplains higher than levels found in little owls from a reference site but the PCB patterns in owls from the floodplains also indicate induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes by dioxin like compounds, possibly PCBs. Of the heavy metals, only cadmium is thought to pose a risk in certain conditions, for example, when little owls are feeding only on earthworms over a prolonged period of time. The results do not indicate any effects on the occurrence of prey items of the little owl like for instance earthworm, beetles and shrews. Hence, it is not expected that little owls will be affected by diminishing prey availability due to contamination.

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