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.
Bustnes
Jan Ove
JO
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Division of Arctic Ecology, The Polar Environmental Centre, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway. jan.o.bustnes@nina.no
Helberg
Morten
M
Strann
Karl-Birger
KB
Skaare
Janneche Utne
JU
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