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Spatial and sex differences in mercury contamination of skuas in the Southern Ocean
2022
Mills, William, | Ibañez, Andrés, | Bustamante, Paco | Carneiro, Ana, | Bearhop, Stuart | Cherel, Yves | Mariano-Jelicich, Rocío | Mcgill, Rona, | Montalti, Diego | Votier, Stephen, | Phillips, Richard,
Antarctic marine ecosystems are often considered to be pristine environments, yet wildlife in the polar regions may still be exposed to high levels of environmental contaminants. Here, we measured total mercury (THg) concentrations in blood samples from adult brown skuas Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (n = 82) from three breeding colonies south of the Antarctic Polar Front in the Southern Ocean (southwest Atlantic region): (i) Bahía Esperanza/Hope Bay, Antarctic Peninsula; (ii) Signy Island, South Orkney Islands; and, (iii) Bird Island, South Georgia. Blood THg concentrations increased from the Antarctic Peninsula towards the Antarctic Polar Front, such that Hg contamination was lowest at Bahía Esperanza/Hope Bay (mean ± SD, 0.95 ± 0.45 µg g-1 dw), intermediate at Signy Island (3.42 ± 2.29 µg g-1 dw) and highest at Bird Island (4.47 ± 1.10 µg g-1 dw). Blood THg concentrations also showed a weak positive correlation with δ15N values, likely reflecting the biomagnification process. Males had higher Hg burdens than females, which may reflect deposition of Hg into eggs by females or potentially differences in their trophic ecology. These data provide important insights into intraspecific variation in contamination and the geographic transfer of Hg to seabirds in the Southern Ocean.
Show more [+] Less [-]Individual variability in contaminants and physiological status in a resident Arctic seabird species
2019
Eckbo, Norith | Le Bohec, Céline | Planas-bielsa, Victor | Warner, Nicholas A. | Schull, Quentin | Herzke, Dorte | Zahn, Sandrine | Haarr, Ane | Gabrielsen, Geir W. | Borgå, Katrine
While migratory seabirds dominate ecotoxicological studies within the Arctic, there is limited knowledge about exposure and potential effects from circulating legacy and emerging contaminants in species who reside in the high-Arctic all year round. Here, we focus on the case of the Mandt's Black guillemot (Cepphus grylle mandtii) breeding at Kongsfjorden, Svalbard (79.00°N, 11.66°E) and investigate exposure to legacy and emerging contaminants in relation to individual physiological status, i.e. body condition, oxidative stress and relative telomere length. Despite its benthic-inshore foraging strategy, the Black guillemot displayed overall similar contaminant concentrations in blood during incubation (∑PCB11 (15.7 ng/g w.w.) > ∑PFAS5 (9.9 ng/g w.w.) > ∑Pesticides9 (6.7 ng/g w.w.) > ∑PBDE4 (2.7 ng/g w.w.), and Hg (0.3 μg/g d.w.) compared to an Arctic migratory seabird in which several contaminant-related stress responses have been observed. Black guillemots in poorer condition tended to display higher levels of contaminants, higher levels of reactive oxygen metabolites, lower plasmatic antioxidant capacity, and shorter telomere lengths; however the low sample size restrict any strong conclusions. Nevertheless, our data suggests that nonlinear relationships with a threshold may exist between accumulated contaminant concentrations and physiological status of the birds. These findings were used to build a hypothesis to be applied in future modelling for describing how chronic exposure to contaminants may be linked to telomere dynamics.
Show more [+] Less [-]Exposure of zebrafish to an environmental mixture of persistent organic pollutants triggers an increase in anxiety-like syndrome but does not affect boldness in unexposed offspring
2023
Alfonso, Sébastien | Blanc, Mélanie | Cousin, Xavier | Bégout, Marie-Laure | MARine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation [Sète] (UMR MARBEC SETE) ; Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM) | Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) | COISPA Technologia y Ricerca ; Partenaires INRAE
International audience | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that are present as complex mixtures in all environmental compartments, including aquatic ecosystems. However, little is known about the effects of such complex mixtures on teleost behaviour. In this study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were chronically exposed to an environmentally relevant mixture (MIX) containing 22 PCB and 7 PBDE congeners through diet from 5 days post fertilization onwards. MIX-exposed F0 fish produced offspring (F1 and F2 generations) that were fed using plain food and grown until adulthood. In each generation, five behavioural traits (i.e. boldness, activity, sociality, exploration and anxiety) were evaluated by the mean of different experimental set-ups. Two distinct behavioural syndromes were identified: boldness, positively correlated to activity and exploration; and anxiety, associated with low sociality. F0 fish did not display any behavioural disruption resulting from POP exposure whereas F1 MIX fish were bolder than fish from other generations but did not differ significantly from F1 controls. F2 MIX fish displayed a higher anxiety syndrome than F2 controls. This is of particular importance since such behavioural changes in offspring generations may have persistent ecological consequences, may affect fitness and hence cause detrimental effects on wild fish populations exposed to POP mixtures.
Show more [+] Less [-]Accumulation and redistribution of trace metals in soils affected by diffuse atmospheric deposition | Accumulation et redristribution d'éléments traces métalliques dans des sols soumis à des retombées atmosphériques diffuses
2001
Semlali, R. ((Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Versailles (France). Centre de Versailles Grignon, Unité de Science du Sol)) | van Oort, F. | Denaix, L. | Loubet, M.
Dans le cadre du Programme national, d'étude des " Charges critiques en métaux lourds dans les sols ", animé par l'ADEME, on a cherché à décrire, dans deux écosystèmes pédologiques contrastés, les stocks et les flux de métaux (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr) afin d'effectuer un état des lieux exhaustif de la distribution verticale des éléments traces métalliques (ETM) dans des profils de sol (solum). Ces sols, choisis en milieu forestier et éloignés de sources potentielles de pollutions, n'ont reçu que des retombées atmosphériques diffuses d'ETM. Les résultats montrent un fonctionnement actuel accumulateur pour le sol volcanique (andosol) vis-à-vis de tous les ETM étudiés. Le sol sableux (podzol) montre un fonctionnement actuel lixiviant. La démarche, qui combine l'utilisation des rapports isotopiques du plomb et d'un élément endogène de référence, le scandium, a permis de quantifier les distributions de plomb endogène et exogène, et par conséquent de préciser l'incorporation dans le sol du plomb atmosphérique. Dans les deux sols, le plomb est majoritairement exogène dans l'horizon de surface mais il migre en partie profondément, jusqu'à plus de 2 mètres. Un suivi de la contamination atmosphérique diffuse des écosystèmes devrait bénéficier de notre démarche en l'appliquant au Réseau national de mesures de la qualité des sols (RMQS)
Show more [+] Less [-]Ozone (tropospheric and stratospheric) and the health state of forest trees. The INRA (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) - Nancy search works (France)
1994
Garrec, J.P. (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Champenoux (France). Centre de Nancy, Ecophysiologie Forestiere)
Elaboration of critical load maps in Switzerland
1993
Rihm, B. (Meteotest, Bern (Suisse))
Detection of environmental carcinogens-DNA
1995
Pfohl Leszkowicz, A. (Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Toulouse (France). Laboratoire de Toxicologie et Securite Alimentaire) | Guillemaut, G. | Masfaraud, J.F. | Rether, B. | Haguenoer, J.M.
Gaseous pollutants: critical level determination
1993
Bonte, J. (Centre Departemental d'Etudes et de Recherches sur l'Environnement, Lagor (France))
Critical levels and loads of atmospheric pollutants for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The emergence of a scientific concept. Application potentials and their limits
1993
Landmann, G. (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Champenoux (France). Centre de Nancy, Microbiologie Biogeochimie et Pathologie des Ecosystemes Forestiers)
Determination of critical loads of atmospheric pollutants in natural ecosystems, particularly forests. Basic principles. The Vosges project (France)
1993
Dambrine, E. (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Champenoux (France). Centre de Nancy, Microbiologie Biogeochimie et Pathologie des Ecosystemes Forestiers) | Probst, A. | Party, J.P.