Title: | Persistent organic pollutants and porphyrins biomarkers in penguin faeces from Kopaitic Island and Antarctic Peninsula |
Author(s): | Rudolph I; Chiang G; Galban-Malagon C; Mendoza R; Martinez M; Gonzalez C; Becerra J; Servos MR; Munkittrick KR; Barra R; |
Address: | "Aquatic Systems Department, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and EULA-Chile Centre, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion 4070386, Chile. Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, St. John, New Brunswick E2L 4L5, Canada; Fundacion MERI, Santiago 7650720, Chile. Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, Faculty of Ecology and Natural Resources, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370371, Chile. Instituto de Investigacion Pesquera, Dpto. de Estudios Ambientales, Talcahuano 4260000, Chile. Departamento de Microbiologia, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion 4070386, Chile. Departamento de Botanica, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion 4070386, Chile. Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, St. John, New Brunswick E2L 4L5, Canada. Aquatic Systems Department, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and EULA-Chile Centre, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion 4070386, Chile. Electronic address: ricbarra@udec.cl" |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.091 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1026 (Electronic) 0048-9697 (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels were determined in the faeces of three Antarctic Peninsula penguin species to assess viability as a non-invasive approach for sampling PCBs in Antarctic biota. These determinations were complemented with stable isotope and porphyrins assessments, and together this methodology determined the role of diet and metabolic disruption in penguins. Up to 60% of the collected faecal samples evidenced low molecular weight PCBs, of which, the more volatile compounds were predominant, in agreement with previous results. The highest PCB levels were reported in the gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua; 35.3ngg(-1) wet weight average), followed by the chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica; 6.4ngg(-1) wet weight average) and Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae; 12.9ngg(-1) wet weight average). Stable isotope analyses (delta(15)N and delta(13)C) demonstrated that gentoo feeding and foraging habits differed from those of Adelie and chinstrap penguins. A strong positive correlation was found between PCB concentrations and delta(15)N, indicating the role of diet on the observed pollutant levels. Porphyrins metabolite levels were also directly correlated with PCB concentrations. These results suggest that PCB levels impair the health of Antarctic penguins" |
Keywords: | Animals Antarctic Regions Biomarkers/metabolism Carbon Isotopes/analysis *Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Feces/chemistry Nitrogen Isotopes/analysis Organic Chemicals/*metabolism Polychlorinated Biphenyls/metabolism Porphyrins/*metabolism; |
Notes: | "MedlineRudolph, Ignacio Chiang, Gustavo Galban-Malagon, Cristobal Mendoza, Rafael Martinez, Miguel Gonzalez, Carlos Becerra, Jose Servos, Mark R Munkittrick, Kelly R Barra, Ricardo eng Netherlands 2016/07/28 Sci Total Environ. 2016 Dec 15; 573:1390-1396. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.091. Epub 2016 Jul 20" |