Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem

Autores
Mills, William F.; Ibañez, Andres Esteban; Bustamante, Paco; Waterman, Juliette; Morales, Lara Mariel; Mariano y Jelicich, Rocío; Montalti, Diego; Black, Stuart
Año de publicación
2025
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Antarctic marine ecosystems are located far from industrial pollution sources, yet mercury (Hg) contamination remains an important threat to regional biodiversity. Seabirds occupy mid- to high trophic positions in Antarctic food webs, and can show high levels of Hg contamination due to biomagnification. Here, total Hg (THg) concentrations and stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were measured in red blood cells of brown skuas Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (n = 44) and south polar skuas S. maccormicki (n = 50) at King George Island/Isla 25 de Mayo (South Shetland Islands) in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 breeding seasons. The objectiveswere to: (i) determine current levels of Hg contamination at King George Island and identify the underlying drivers (e.g., species, sex, year, δ13C and δ15N); (ii) compare contaminant levels with other breeding sites; and (iii) examine potential Hg-associated health risks. At King George Island, south polar skuas had higher THg concentrations (mean ± SD, 3.85 ± 2.99 μg g 1 dw) than brown skuas (1.67 ± 1.25 μg g 1 dw), potentially due to their greater reliance on mesopelagic fish and carry-over effects from their non-breeding distributions. THg concentrations of males were higher than females, with deposition into eggs by females being the likeliest explanatory factor, and were positively related to δ15N, reflecting the biomagnification process. THg concentrations of brown skuas in this study were higher than at Hope Bay (Antarctic Peninsula), but lower than at SouthOrkney Islands (Antarctica), South Georgia and Kerguelen Islands (subantarctic). THg concentrations of the south polar skuas analysed here were higher than at Hope Bay and Ad´elie Land (Antarctic continent). Comparisons with toxicity benchmarks suggest that skuas are currently at low risk of Hg-associated health impacts at King George Island.
Fil: Mills, William F.. University of Reading; Reino Unido
Fil: Ibañez, Andres Esteban. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina
Fil: Bustamante, Paco. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia
Fil: Waterman, Juliette. University of Reading; Reino Unido
Fil: Morales, Lara Mariel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina
Fil: Mariano y Jelicich, Rocío. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina
Fil: Montalti, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina
Fil: Black, Stuart. University of Reading; Reino Unido
Materia
SKUAS
STERCORARIUS
MARINE POLLUTION
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/281831
Acceder
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network_acronym_str CONICETDig
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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystemMills, William F.Ibañez, Andres EstebanBustamante, PacoWaterman, JulietteMorales, Lara MarielMariano y Jelicich, RocíoMontalti, DiegoBlack, StuartSKUASSTERCORARIUSMARINE POLLUTIONANTARCTIC PENINSULAhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Antarctic marine ecosystems are located far from industrial pollution sources, yet mercury (Hg) contamination remains an important threat to regional biodiversity. Seabirds occupy mid- to high trophic positions in Antarctic food webs, and can show high levels of Hg contamination due to biomagnification. Here, total Hg (THg) concentrations and stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were measured in red blood cells of brown skuas Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (n = 44) and south polar skuas S. maccormicki (n = 50) at King George Island/Isla 25 de Mayo (South Shetland Islands) in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 breeding seasons. The objectiveswere to: (i) determine current levels of Hg contamination at King George Island and identify the underlying drivers (e.g., species, sex, year, δ13C and δ15N); (ii) compare contaminant levels with other breeding sites; and (iii) examine potential Hg-associated health risks. At King George Island, south polar skuas had higher THg concentrations (mean ± SD, 3.85 ± 2.99 μg g 1 dw) than brown skuas (1.67 ± 1.25 μg g 1 dw), potentially due to their greater reliance on mesopelagic fish and carry-over effects from their non-breeding distributions. THg concentrations of males were higher than females, with deposition into eggs by females being the likeliest explanatory factor, and were positively related to δ15N, reflecting the biomagnification process. THg concentrations of brown skuas in this study were higher than at Hope Bay (Antarctic Peninsula), but lower than at SouthOrkney Islands (Antarctica), South Georgia and Kerguelen Islands (subantarctic). THg concentrations of the south polar skuas analysed here were higher than at Hope Bay and Ad´elie Land (Antarctic continent). Comparisons with toxicity benchmarks suggest that skuas are currently at low risk of Hg-associated health impacts at King George Island.Fil: Mills, William F.. University of Reading; Reino UnidoFil: Ibañez, Andres Esteban. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Bustamante, Paco. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Waterman, Juliette. University of Reading; Reino UnidoFil: Morales, Lara Mariel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Mariano y Jelicich, Rocío. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Montalti, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; ArgentinaFil: Black, Stuart. University of Reading; Reino UnidoAcademic Press Inc Elsevier Science2025-09info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/281831Mills, William F.; Ibañez, Andres Esteban; Bustamante, Paco; Waterman, Juliette; Morales, Lara Mariel; et al.; Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem; Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science; Environmental Research; 281; 9-2025; 1-90013-9351CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0013935125012411info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.envres.2025.121990info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-03-11T12:34:15Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/281831instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-03-11 12:34:15.946CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
title Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
spellingShingle Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
Mills, William F.
SKUAS
STERCORARIUS
MARINE POLLUTION
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
title_short Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
title_full Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
title_fullStr Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
title_full_unstemmed Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
title_sort Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Mills, William F.
Ibañez, Andres Esteban
Bustamante, Paco
Waterman, Juliette
Morales, Lara Mariel
Mariano y Jelicich, Rocío
Montalti, Diego
Black, Stuart
author Mills, William F.
author_facet Mills, William F.
Ibañez, Andres Esteban
Bustamante, Paco
Waterman, Juliette
Morales, Lara Mariel
Mariano y Jelicich, Rocío
Montalti, Diego
Black, Stuart
author_role author
author2 Ibañez, Andres Esteban
Bustamante, Paco
Waterman, Juliette
Morales, Lara Mariel
Mariano y Jelicich, Rocío
Montalti, Diego
Black, Stuart
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv SKUAS
STERCORARIUS
MARINE POLLUTION
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
topic SKUAS
STERCORARIUS
MARINE POLLUTION
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Antarctic marine ecosystems are located far from industrial pollution sources, yet mercury (Hg) contamination remains an important threat to regional biodiversity. Seabirds occupy mid- to high trophic positions in Antarctic food webs, and can show high levels of Hg contamination due to biomagnification. Here, total Hg (THg) concentrations and stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were measured in red blood cells of brown skuas Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (n = 44) and south polar skuas S. maccormicki (n = 50) at King George Island/Isla 25 de Mayo (South Shetland Islands) in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 breeding seasons. The objectiveswere to: (i) determine current levels of Hg contamination at King George Island and identify the underlying drivers (e.g., species, sex, year, δ13C and δ15N); (ii) compare contaminant levels with other breeding sites; and (iii) examine potential Hg-associated health risks. At King George Island, south polar skuas had higher THg concentrations (mean ± SD, 3.85 ± 2.99 μg g 1 dw) than brown skuas (1.67 ± 1.25 μg g 1 dw), potentially due to their greater reliance on mesopelagic fish and carry-over effects from their non-breeding distributions. THg concentrations of males were higher than females, with deposition into eggs by females being the likeliest explanatory factor, and were positively related to δ15N, reflecting the biomagnification process. THg concentrations of brown skuas in this study were higher than at Hope Bay (Antarctic Peninsula), but lower than at SouthOrkney Islands (Antarctica), South Georgia and Kerguelen Islands (subantarctic). THg concentrations of the south polar skuas analysed here were higher than at Hope Bay and Ad´elie Land (Antarctic continent). Comparisons with toxicity benchmarks suggest that skuas are currently at low risk of Hg-associated health impacts at King George Island.
Fil: Mills, William F.. University of Reading; Reino Unido
Fil: Ibañez, Andres Esteban. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina
Fil: Bustamante, Paco. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia
Fil: Waterman, Juliette. University of Reading; Reino Unido
Fil: Morales, Lara Mariel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina
Fil: Mariano y Jelicich, Rocío. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentina
Fil: Montalti, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina
Fil: Black, Stuart. University of Reading; Reino Unido
description Antarctic marine ecosystems are located far from industrial pollution sources, yet mercury (Hg) contamination remains an important threat to regional biodiversity. Seabirds occupy mid- to high trophic positions in Antarctic food webs, and can show high levels of Hg contamination due to biomagnification. Here, total Hg (THg) concentrations and stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) were measured in red blood cells of brown skuas Stercorarius antarcticus lonnbergi (n = 44) and south polar skuas S. maccormicki (n = 50) at King George Island/Isla 25 de Mayo (South Shetland Islands) in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 breeding seasons. The objectiveswere to: (i) determine current levels of Hg contamination at King George Island and identify the underlying drivers (e.g., species, sex, year, δ13C and δ15N); (ii) compare contaminant levels with other breeding sites; and (iii) examine potential Hg-associated health risks. At King George Island, south polar skuas had higher THg concentrations (mean ± SD, 3.85 ± 2.99 μg g 1 dw) than brown skuas (1.67 ± 1.25 μg g 1 dw), potentially due to their greater reliance on mesopelagic fish and carry-over effects from their non-breeding distributions. THg concentrations of males were higher than females, with deposition into eggs by females being the likeliest explanatory factor, and were positively related to δ15N, reflecting the biomagnification process. THg concentrations of brown skuas in this study were higher than at Hope Bay (Antarctic Peninsula), but lower than at SouthOrkney Islands (Antarctica), South Georgia and Kerguelen Islands (subantarctic). THg concentrations of the south polar skuas analysed here were higher than at Hope Bay and Ad´elie Land (Antarctic continent). Comparisons with toxicity benchmarks suggest that skuas are currently at low risk of Hg-associated health impacts at King George Island.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025-09
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/281831
Mills, William F.; Ibañez, Andres Esteban; Bustamante, Paco; Waterman, Juliette; Morales, Lara Mariel; et al.; Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem; Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science; Environmental Research; 281; 9-2025; 1-9
0013-9351
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/281831
identifier_str_mv Mills, William F.; Ibañez, Andres Esteban; Bustamante, Paco; Waterman, Juliette; Morales, Lara Mariel; et al.; Mercury contamination of sympatric seabirds and associated health risks in an Antarctic ecosystem; Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science; Environmental Research; 281; 9-2025; 1-9
0013-9351
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0013935125012411
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.envres.2025.121990
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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