Polychlorinated biphenyls and reproductive hormones in female polar bears at Svalbard.

Haave, Marte; Ropstad, Erik; Derocher, Andrew E.; Lie, Elisabeth; Dahl, Ellen; Wiig, Øystein; Skaare, Janneche Utne; Jenssen, Bjørn Munro

doi:10.1289/ehp.5553

Cited by 118 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The negative relationship between βE2 levels and PCB-118 reported in the present study have also been reported in female polar bears from Svalbard (Haave et al, 2003), though only as a borderline significance. However, polar bears are known to accumulate much higher levels of contaminants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Steroids in house sparrows (Passer domesticus): Effects of POPs and male quality signalling

Nossen

Ciesielski

Dimmen

et al. 2016

Science of The Total Environment

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At high trophic levels, several environmental contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs) have been found to affect endocrinological processes governing growth and reproduction. Less attention has been paid to species at lower trophic levels, and it is presently unclear whether or not the lower levels of contaminants observed at lower trophic levels are able to exert negative effects on important endocrinological process governing growth and reproduction.The aim of the present study was to use the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) as a low trophic level model species to study the effects of environmental contaminants on endocrinology. We analysed the levels of some selected PCBs , PBDEs [TS]) in adult house sparrows from a population on the island Leka, mid Norway. Plasma samples were analysed for steroid hormones by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) and liver samples were analysed for environmental contaminants by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). It was hypothesized that POPs may have endocrine disrupting effects on the local house sparrow population and can thus interfere with the steroid hormone homeostasis.Bivariate correlations revealed negative relationships between PCB-118 and βE2 and p,p'-DDE, ∑OCPs and E1 among female house sparrows. Among male sparrows, bivariate correlations indicted positive relationships between DHT levels and PCB-118, BDE-100 and ∑PCBs. Furthermore, positive relationships were found between AN and TS levels and beak length, as well as ornamental traits such as badge size category and area of the total badge size in males. Although sparrows are in the mid-range trophic levels, the present study indicates that POPs may affect steroid homeostasis in house sparrows, in particular for females. For males, circulating steroid levels appears to be more associated with biometric parameters related to elaborate traits.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Steroids in house sparrows (Passer domesticus): Effects of POPs and male quality signalling

Nossen

Ciesielski

Dimmen

et al. 2016

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Nevertheless, this scenario is no longer valid in autumn when plasma TT3 and FT3 were similar in all females. Alternatively, our results could be interpreted as solitary females showing the highest TH levels during spring as a consequence of estrous (i.e., receptive state), inducing a different hormonal state compared to anestrous females caring for young (Haave et al, 2003). Accordingly, plasma T3 was shown to decrease during the luteal phase of estrous of ewes (Peeters et al, 1989).…”

Section: Effects Of Breeding Status and Season On Thyroid Hormone Levelsmentioning

confidence: 67%

Potentiation of ecological factors on the disruption of thyroid hormones by organo-halogenated contaminants in female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the Barents Sea

Bourgeon

Riemer

Tartu

et al. 2017

Environmental Research

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As apex predators, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are among the most heavily polluted organisms in the Arctic. In addition to this anthropogenic stressor, climate warming has been shown to negatively affect their body condition, reproductive output and survival. Among potential underlying physiological mechanisms, thyroid hormones (THs), which control thermoregulation, metabolism and reproduction, can be affected by a variety of both natural and anthropogenic factors. While THs have been extensively used as proxies for pollution exposure in mammals, including polar bears, there is a lack of knowledge of their natural variations. In this context, we examined seasonal variations in body condition and circulating TH concentrations in free-ranging female polar bears. Females with variable reproductive status (i.e., solitary, with cubs of the year or with yearlings) were sampled from locations with contrasted sea ice conditions. Furthermore, we studied THs in relation to levels of organohalogenated contaminants. As predicted, solitary females were in better condition than females caring for offspring, especially in spring. In addition, TH levels were lower in autumn compared to spring, although this seasonal effect was mainly observed in solitary females.Finally, the negative relationships between organochlorine and perfluoroalkyl substances and some THs suggest a possible alteration of homeostasis of THs. Since the latter relationships were only observed during spring, we emphasize the importance of considering the ecological factors when using THs as proxies for pollution exposure. Yet, the combined effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors on THs might impair the ability of polar bears to adapt to ongoing climate changes.

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“…In polar bears, POPs have been reported to affect reproductive hormones (Haave et al, 2003;Oskam et al, 2003) and to influence the morphology of male and female reproductive organs such as testicles, penis, uteri and ovary (Sonne et al, 2006). This may reduce their reproductive success (Sonne et al, 2006;Letcher et al, 2010).…”

Section: Combined Effects On Reproduction and Immunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthropogenic flank attack on polar bears: interacting consequences of climate warming and pollutant exposure

et al. 2015

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Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are subjected to several anthropogenic threats, climate warming and exposure to pollutants being two of these. For polar bears, one of the main effects of climate warming is limited access to prey, due to loss of their sea ice habitat. This will result in prolonged fasting periods and emaciation and condition related negative effects on survival and reproduction success. Prolonged fasting will result in increases of the tissue concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in polar bears, and thus increase the probability for POP levels to exceed threshold levels for effects on health, and thus on reproductive success and survival. There are clear potentials for interactions between impacts of climate warming and impacts of pollutant exposure on polar bears. It is likely that that fasting-induced increases of POPs will add to mortality rates and decrease reproductive success beyond effects caused by loss of habitat alone. However, there is a lack of studies that have addressed this. Thus, there is a need to focus on population effects of POP exposure in polar bears, and to consider such effects in relation to the effects of climate induced habitat loss.

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Polychlorinated biphenyls and reproductive hormones in female polar bears at Svalbard.

Cited by 118 publications

References 45 publications

Steroids in house sparrows (Passer domesticus): Effects of POPs and male quality signalling

Steroids in house sparrows (Passer domesticus): Effects of POPs and male quality signalling

Potentiation of ecological factors on the disruption of thyroid hormones by organo-halogenated contaminants in female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the Barents Sea

Anthropogenic flank attack on polar bears: interacting consequences of climate warming and pollutant exposure

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