title: Endocrine status of a migratory bird potentially exposed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: a case study of northern gannets breeding on Bonaventure Island, Eastern Canada.
abstract: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused the death of a large number of seabirds in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. However, the long term consequences of oil exposure on migratory birds overwintering in this area have received limited attention. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of oil contamination (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) on the circulating status of prolactin and corticosterone, two hormones that influence reproductive success in birds, in Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) breeding on Bonaventure Island, Eastern Canada. Using light-based geolocators, it was found that 23.5% of Northern gannets from Bonaventure Island overwintered in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010-2011; the remainder of this population overwintered along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. PAH concentrations (eight compounds) in gannet blood cells were all found to be under the method limits of quantification, which could be the result of the ability of seabirds to metabolize these compounds and the time elapsed between oil exposure and blood sampling. Corticosterone and prolactin levels as well as body mass did not differ between the two major birds' wintering sites. Moreover, levels of both these hormones did not vary from early to late incubation period. Present results suggest that if Bonaventure Island-breeding Northern gannets had been exposed to oil in the Gulf of Mexico in the aftermath of this historical spill, this exposure could not be associated with changes in hormonal status and body mass in breeding individuals.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Toxicologie de l'environnement (TOXEN), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Cynthia D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Franci
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Magella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guillemette
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER), Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Emilien
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pelletier
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Villiers en Bois, Deux-Sèvres F-79360, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chastel
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Salomé
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonnefoi
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Toxicologie de l'environnement (TOXEN), Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, Canada. Electronic address: verreault.jonathan@uqam.ca.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verreault
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000378:metabolism*; D002170:Canada; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D012098:Reproduction; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Corticosterone; Deepwater Horizon; PAH; Prolactin; Seabirds; Sulidae