Metal and selenium concentrations in blood and feathers of petrels of the genus procellaria

Abstract

Concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and selenium (Se) were determined in blood and feathers of spectacled (Procellaria conspicillata) and white-chinned (Procellaria aequinoctialis) petrels, species that are phylogenetically related, but with distinct ecological niches. In winter, they feed on similar foods, indicated by an overlapping range of whole-blood stable isotopes values (δ(15) N; δ(13) C). No relation was found between blood metal concentration and stable isotope values. In spectacled petrels, metal concentrations appeared lower in blood (Cu = 0.79-20.77 µg/g; Zn = 10.95-28.02 µg/g; Cd = 1.73-10.11 µg/g; Pb = 5.02-26.03 µg/g; Hg = 0.84-9.86 µg/g) than in feathers (Cu = 1.05-21.57 µg/g; Zn = 45.30-81.49 µg/g; Cd = 3.76-10.44 µg/g; Pb = 16.53-59.00 µg/g; Hg = 4.24-24.03 µg/g). In white-chinned petrels, metal concentrations also appeared lower in blood (Cu = 0.62-10.4 µg/g; Zn = 10.73-24.69 µg/g; Cd = 2.00-6.31 µg/g; Pb = 5.72-24.03 µg/g) than in feathers (Cu = 2.68-23.92 µg/g; Zn = 48.96-93.54 µg/g; Cd = 5.72-24.03 µg/g; Pb = 18.62-55.51 µg/g), except for Hg (blood = 0.20-15.82 µg/g; feathers = 0.19-8.91 µg/g). Selenium (0.24-14.18 µg/g) and Hg (0.22-1.44 µg/g) concentrations showed a positive correlation in growing feathers of spectacled petrels. Blood and feather Hg levels were higher in spectacled petrels while feathers Cu and Zn concentrations were greater in white-chinned petrels. Juvenile white-chinned petrels exhibited greater blood Hg concentrations than adults. In the south Atlantic Ocean, discards from commercial fishing operations consumed by spectacled petrels year-round and by white-chinned petrels during the wintering period have elevated Hg concentrations. Because Hg toxicity is associated with behavioral and reproductive changes in birds, it could potentially have impacts on breeding of these seabirds, as both species are listed as threatened by extinction.

Elemental composition in feathers of a migratory passerine for differentiation of sex, age, and molting areas

“…However, for a better interpretation of the outcomes of PCA-GLM, further studies aiming at determination of elemental profile of soil and food web of the breeding and wintering habitats of the collared flycatcher would be needed. proper sample dissolution, showed a positive correlation in growing feathers of spectacled petrels of the genus Procellaria (Carvalho et al 2013). In our study, correlation between Hg and Se concentration levels could be performed only for bulk analysis data.…”

“…Several analytical techniques have been used to determine elemental concentrations in feathers such as flame, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (Markowski et al 2013), cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) for Hg (Carvalho et al 2013;Carravieri et al 2014;Mashroofeh et al 2015), inductively coupled plasma optical emission (Szép et al 2003;Donovan et al 2006;Szép et al 2009) or inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (Adout et al 2007;Norris et al 2007;Rubio et al 2016) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (Haskins et al 2011). All these techniques require sample digestion or dissolution prior to the analysis.…”

The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) as an indicator of coastal trace metal pollution

“…the taking of a small sample of blood (<2 mL) from a free-ranging bird without sacrificing it (Becker, 2003). The success of non-lethal blood sampling techniques is evident in the literature (EaglesSmith et al, 2008;Carvalho et al, 2013;Fort et al, 2014). Trace element concentrations in avian blood reflect current dietary exposure and often correlate strongly with those in internal tissues, presenting a potentially more suitable non-lethal matrix than feathers for investigating a biologically relevant contaminant load (Monteiro and Furness, 2001).…”

“…The collection of blood samples is more invasive and has more specific skill, storage and transportation requirements. However, the analysis of blood allows for finer scale temporal investigations than feathers, and metals in blood are often a better representation of the biologically relevant contaminant load (Carvalho et al, 2013).…”

Impacts of climate variation and potential effects of climate change on South American seabirds – a review

“…Offshore fishing operations may provide food in the form of discards (Bugoni et al 2010), but also lead to incidental mortality of penguins, albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and cormorants (e.g. Favero et al 2003;Phillips et al 2006;González-Zevallos & Yorio 2006;Bugoni et al 2008a;Jiménez et al 2009;Cardoso et al 2011) and to increased intake of heavy metals (Carvalho et al 2013). While some of these threats are locally restricted or could be remedied through political decisions, climatic phenomena have the potential to influence the whole region profoundly and add to the cumulative pressure affecting many seabird species.…”