Biomonitoring; Erythrocytes; Feather; Metals; Red blood cells; Environmental Pollutants; Mercury; Animals; Environmental Monitoring; Feathers/chemistry; Norway; Environmental Pollutants/analysis; Eagles; Mercury/analysis; Birds of prey; Dry weight; Erythrocyte; Hg concentrations; Isotope signatures; Mercury exposure; Red blood cell; Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes; Toxicology; Pollution; Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; General Medicine
Abstract :
[en] Mercury (Hg) and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were analysed in body feathers from nestlings of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) (WTE; n = 13) and Northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) (NG; n = 8) and in red blood cells (RBC) from NG (n = 11) from Norway. According to linear mixed model, species factor was significant in explaining the Hg concentration in feathers (LMM; p < 0.001, estimate (WTE) = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.26, 3.76), with concentrations higher in WTE (3.01 ± 1.34 µg g-1 dry weight) than in NG (0.51 ± 0.34 µg g-1 dry weight). This difference and the isotopic patterns for each species, likely reflect their diet, as WTE predominantly feed on a marine and higher trophic-chain diet compared to the terrestrial NG. In addition, Hg concentrations in RBCs of NG nestlings were positively correlated with feather Hg concentrations (Rho = 0.77, p = 0.03), supporting the potential usefulness of nestling body feathers to biomonitor and estimate Hg exposure. Hg levels in both species were generally below the commonly applied toxicity threshold of 5 µg g-1 in feathers, although exceeded in two WTE (6.08 and 5.19 µg g-1 dry weight).
Disciplines :
Environmental sciences & ecology Zoology
Author, co-author :
Gómez-Ramírez, Pilar ; Toxicology Group, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain. pilargomez@um.es
Bustnes, Jan Ove; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
Eulaers, Igor; Department of Bioscience, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
Johnsen, Trond Vidar; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
Lepoint, Gilles ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de Biologie, Ecologie et Evolution
Pérez-García, Juan Manuel; Ecology Area, Department of Applied Biology, University Miguel Hernández, 03202, Elche, Spain
García-Fernández, Antonio Juan; Toxicology Group, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
Espín, Silvia; Toxicology Group, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain
Jaspers, Veerle Leontina Bernard; Environmental Toxicology Group, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7024, Trondheim, Norway. veerle.jaspers@ntnu.no
Language :
English
Title :
Mercury Exposure in Birds of Prey from Norway: Relation to Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Signatures in Body Feathers.
Publication date :
02 June 2023
Journal title :
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
UCM - Universidad Complutense de Madrid [ES] MICINN - Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion [ES] NTNU - Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet [NO] RCN - Research Council of Norway [NO] NINA - Norsk Institutt for Naturforskning [NO] Universidad de Murcia [ES]
Funding text :
Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. P. Gómez-Ramírez was supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism, operated by Universidad Complutense de Madrid. The Norwegian Research Council and NTNU funded the project NEWRAPTOR and V.L.B. Jaspers. Additional funding was provided by the Hazardous Substances Flagship (the Raptor project) at the Fram Centre in Tromsø. Hg analysis was supported by the Service of Toxicology and Forensic Veterinary at the University of Murcia. Silvia Espín and Juan M. Pérez-García were supported by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación contracts IJCI-2017–34653 and IJC-2019–038968, respectively).
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