Environmental pollutants in endangered vs. increasing subspecies of the lesser black-backed gull on the Norwegian Coast.
Organochlorine (OC) residues were measured in eggs and blood of different subspecies of the lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus, on the Norwegian coast: a) increasing L. f. intermedius in the North Sea; b) endangered L. f. fuscus near the Arctic Circle; c) L. f. fuscus and greyish-mantled gulls, with a L. f. intermedius appearance, in the Barents Sea region. The dominating OCs in lesser black-backed gulls were polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). DDE and beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) residues were higher in L. f. fuscus compared to L. f. intermedius and greyish-mantled birds in the Barents Sea region. In the latter area, blood residues of PCB and DDE in lesser black-backed gulls were as high as in great black-backed gulls, Larus marinus, while in the other regions they were lower. The higher DDE residues in endangered L. f. fuscus compared to increasing L. f. intermedius and greyish-mantled birds, which are invading northern Norway, suggest that OCs may have played a role in the population decline of L. f. fuscus, possibly in combination with nutrient stress.
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Division of Arctic Ecology, The Polar Environmental Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway. jan.o.bustnes@nina.no
Jan Ove
JO
Bustnes
Morten
M
Helberg
Karl-Birger
KB
Strann
Janneche Utne
JU
Skaare
D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D001822:Body Burden; D046091:Charadriiformes; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000032:analysis; D004463:Ecology; D004531:Eggs; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D020387:Food Chain; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane / Q000032:analysis; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000032:analysis*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000032:analysis; D009664:Norway; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D013045:Species Specificity
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D007306:Insecticides; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls