Temporal and spatial variation in mercury concentrations in some albatrosses and petrels from the sub-Antarctic

Thompson, David R.; Furness, Robert W.; Lewis, S. A.

doi:10.1007/bf00238759

Cited by 63 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…We did not find significant effects of adult age on mercury feather levels in any of the 4 species studied. This accords with earlier results from black-browed, grey-headed and wandering albatrosses (Thompson et al 1993b), which moult infrequently and irregularly (Furness 1988, Weimerskirch 1991, and from other species such as red-billed gulls Larus novaehollandiae scopulinus (Furness et al 1990), great skuas Catharacta skua (Thompson et al 1991) and common terns Sterna hirundo (Burger et al 1994), which moult more regularly. The independence between feather mercury levels and bird age may be explained by the (usually annual) moult being an effective way of decontaminating the body mercury burden (see 'Introduction').…”

Section: Intraspecific Variabilitysupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Especially high mercury concentrations have been found in internal tissues and feathers of large albatrosses (Muirhead & Furness 1988, Lock et al 1992, Thompson et al 1993b, Hindell et al 1999. This is confirmed by our study.…”

Section: Interspecific Variabilitysupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Modelling the at- ) in 4 seabird species from the South Atlantic (Gough Island, South Georgia) and South Indian Ocean (Marion Island). Data from Thompson et al (1993b) and this paper mospheric transport of mercury from industrial sources predicted a 4-fold increase in mercury loads in the northern, but only little increase in the southern hemisphere (Mason et al 1994, Fitzgerald 1995. This prediction matches closely the temporal trend of mercury contamination of seabirds in the NE Atlantic , Monteiro & Furness 1997.…”

Section: Spatial and Temporal Trendssupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Furthermore, feathers provide easily obtainable and relatively non-invasive matrices for monitoring. Time series of feather samples from seabirds both in the NE Atlantic (Thompson et al 1992a, 1993a, Monteiro & Furness 1997 and from some seabird species in the Southern Ocean (Thompson et al 1993b) have revealed significant increases in mercury concentrations in seabirds during the 20th century, owing to increased mercury emissions transported and deposited by the atmosphere around the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feather mercury levels in seabirds at South Georgia: influence of trophic position, sex and age

Becker¹,

González‐Solís²,

Behrends³

et al. 2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

116

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We studied the mercury contamination of 13 species of seabirds breeding on Bird Island, South Georgia, in 1998. Total mercury concentrations in body feather samples of birds caught at their breeding colonies were determined. Among the species, grey-headed albatross (8933 ng g ) the lowest body feather mercury concentrations. Mercury levels were negatively correlated with the proportion of crustaceans (mainly krill) in the species' diets, suggesting that the trophic level is the most important factor in explaining the variation of mercury concentrations in Antarctic seabirds. In 4 species studied for age effects among adult birds (grey-headed and black-browed albatross, northern and southern giant petrel), no age-dependent variation in mercury levels was found. Sex differences were also assessed: female gentoo penguins had lower mercury levels than males, which may be related to the elimination of part of the mercury body burden by females into eggs. In contrast, northern giant petrel males had lower levels than females, which may be related to a higher consumption by males of carrion from Antarctic fur seals. In grey-headed albatrosses, mercury levels were 113% higher than in 1989, when this species was investigated at the same site, indicating a possible increase in mercury pollution of the Southern Ocean during the last decade.

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Section: Intraspecific Variabilitysupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Interspecific Variabilitysupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Spatial and Temporal Trendssupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Feather mercury levels in seabirds at South Georgia: influence of trophic position, sex and age

Becker¹,

González‐Solís²,

Behrends³

et al. 2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

116

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Increases were observed in 9 of 10 Atlantic species (14, 15), 2 of 2 German North Sea species (16), and 0 of 6 sub-Arctic species (17). Nonetheless, no prior research has studied comparably extensive temporal trends in MeHg levels for a species from the Pacific, which harbors one-half of the world's seabird species and more threatened seabird species per unit of land area than any other ocean (18).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal increase in organic mercury in an endangered pelagic seabird assessed by century-old museum specimens

Bank²,

Shine³

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Methylmercury cycling in the Pacific Ocean has garnered significant attention in recent years, especially with regard to rising mercury emissions from Asia. Uncertainty exists concerning whether increases in anthropogenic emissions over time may have caused increased mercury bioaccumulation in the biota. To address this, we measured total mercury and, for a subset of samples, methylmercury (the bioaccumulated form of mercury) in museum feathers from an endangered seabird, the black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes), spanning a 120-y period. We analyzed stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ 15 N) and carbon (δ 13 C) to control for temporal changes in trophic structure and diet. In post-1940 and -1990 feathers, we detected significantly higher mean methylmercury concentrations and higher proportions of samples exhibiting above deleterious threshold levels (∼40,000 ng·g −1 ) of methylmercury relative to prior time points, suggesting that mercury toxicity may undermine reproductive effort in the species. We also found higher levels of (presumably curator-mediated) inorganic mercury in older specimens of albatross as well as two nonpelagic species lacking historical exposure to bioavailable mercury, patterns suggesting that studies on bioaccumulation should measure methylmercury rather than total mercury when using museum collections. δ 15 N contributed substantially to models explaining the observed methylmercury variation. After simultaneously controlling for significant trends in δ 13 C over time and δ 15 N with methylmercury exposure, year remained a significant independent covariate with feather methylmercury levels among the albatrosses. These data show that remote seabird colonies in the Pacific basin exhibit temporal changes in methylmercury levels consistent with historical global and recent regional increases in anthropogenic emissions.Asian emissions | ecotoxicology | fisheries | global change | mercury contamination

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Influence of Species-Specific Feeding Ecology on Mercury Concentrations in Seabirds Breeding on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand

Thébault

Bustamante

Massaro

et al. 2020

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

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Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that accumulates in organisms and biomagnifies along food webs; hence, long‐lived predators such as seabirds are at risk as a result of high Hg bioaccumulation. Seabirds have been widely used to monitor the contamination of marine ecosystems. In the present study, we investigated Hg concentrations in blood, muscle, and feathers of 7 procellariform seabirds breeding on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Using bulk and compound‐specific stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen as a proxy of trophic position and distribution, we also tested whether Hg contamination is related to the species‐specific feeding ecology. Mercury exposure varied widely within the seabird community. The highest contaminated species, the Magenta petrel, had approximately 29 times more Hg in its blood than the broad‐billed prion, and approximately 35 times more Hg in its feathers than the grey‐backed storm petrel. Variations of Hg concentrations in blood and feathers were significantly and positively linked to feeding habitats and trophic position, highlighting the occurrence of efficient Hg biomagnification processes along the food web. Species and feeding habitats were the 2 main drivers of Hg exposure within the seabird community. The Pterodroma species had high blood and feather Hg concentrations, which can be caused by their specific physiology and/or because of their foraging behavior during the interbreeding period (i.e., from the Tasman Sea to the Humboldt Current system). These 2 threatened species are at risk of suffering detrimental effects from Hg contamination and further studies are required to investigate potential negative impacts, especially on their reproduction capability. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:454–472. © 2020 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

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Temporal and spatial variation in mercury concentrations in some albatrosses and petrels from the sub-Antarctic

Cited by 63 publications

References 25 publications

Feather mercury levels in seabirds at South Georgia: influence of trophic position, sex and age

Feather mercury levels in seabirds at South Georgia: influence of trophic position, sex and age

Temporal increase in organic mercury in an endangered pelagic seabird assessed by century-old museum specimens

Influence of Species-Specific Feeding Ecology on Mercury Concentrations in Seabirds Breeding on the Chatham Islands, New Zealand

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