title: Levels and temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from Svalbard in relation to dietary habits and food availability.
abstract: Temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from Svalbard, Norway, were investigated in relation to feeding habits and seasonal food availability. Arctic foxes from Svalbard forage in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the availability of their food items are impacted by climatic variability. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and brominated flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers [PBDEs] and hexabromocyclododecane [HBCDD]) were analyzed in the liver of 141 arctic foxes collected between 1997 and 2013. Stable carbon isotope values (δ13C) were used as a proxy for feeding on marine versus terrestrial prey. The annual number of recovered reindeer carcasses and sea ice cover were used as proxies for climate influenced food availability (reindeers, seals). Linear models revealed that concentrations of PCBs, chlordanes, p,p'-DDE, mirex and PBDEs decreased 4-11% per year, while no trends were observed for hexachlorobenzene (HCB) or β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH). Positive relationships between POP concentrations and δ13C indicate that concentrations of all compounds increase with increasing marine dietary input. Increasing reindeer mortality was related to lower HCB concentrations in the foxes based on the linear models. This suggests that concentrations of HCB in arctic foxes may be influenced by high mortality levels of Svalbard reindeer. Further, β-HCH concentrations showed a positive association with sea ice cover. These results in addition to the strong effect of δ13C on all POP concentrations suggest that climate-related changes in arctic fox diet are likely to influence contaminant concentrations in arctic foxes from Svalbard.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway; Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Martin S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuglei
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: König
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland.
authors.forename: Inka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lipasti
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Åshild Ø
authors.initials: ÅØ
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Anuschka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polder
authors.affiliation: Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, NO-9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Nigel G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Yoccoz
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: heli.routti@npolar.no.
authors.forename: Heli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Routti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002706:Chlordan / Q000378:metabolism; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000378:metabolism; D005589:Foxes / Q000378:metabolism*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000378:metabolism; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane / Q000378:metabolism; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000378:metabolism; D010575:Pesticides / Q000378:metabolism; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000378:metabolism; D013538:Svalbard
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; D010575:Pesticides; D002706:Chlordan; D003633:Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D001556:Hexachlorocyclohexane; C089796:hexabromocyclododecane; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; C023888:beta-hexachlorocyclohexane
keywords: Arctic fox; Climate change; Contaminant; Reindeer mortality; Sea ice; Stable isotope