title: Trace elements and ingested plastic debris in wintering dovekies (Alle alle).
abstract: We provide the first report on winter concentrations of 32 trace metals from dovekies (Alle alle), a small, Arctic seabird that has a seasonal shift in diet from small zooplankton in the breeding season to larger zooplankton and small fish in the non-breeding season. Concentrations of selected trace elements, as well as stable carbon (δ(13)C) and nitrogen (δ(15)N) isotope concentrations for a sample of 25 dovekies, were similar between adult males and females, and there was evidence that dovekies feeding at higher trophic levels had higher hepatic Hg. We also found plastic debris in nine of 65 (14%) gizzards examined. Our study helps provide a more complete picture of the foraging ecology and contaminant profile of dovekies, an important species in Arctic marine food webs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada. Electronic address: danielle.t.fife@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Danielle T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Fife
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Research Division, Environment Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada.
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada.
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shutler
authors.affiliation: National Wildlife Research Centre, Raven Road, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada.
authors.forename: Birgit M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Braune
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mallory
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D002170:Canada; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005241:Feathers / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D020387:Food Chain; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry*; D012621:Seasons; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D015048:Zooplankton
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D014131:Trace Elements; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Alle alle; Dovekie; Mercury; Plastic ingestion; Stable isotopes; Trace elements