title: Survival rate and breeding outputs in a high Arctic seabird exposed to legacy persistent organic pollutants and mercury.
abstract: Chronic exposure to pollutants may represent a threat for wildlife. We tested whether adult survival rate, breeding probability and breeding success the year of sampling and the following year were affected by blood levels of mercury or persistent organic pollutants in Svalbard black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, by using capture-mark-recapture models over a five-year period. Survival rate was negatively linked to HCB levels in females, to chlordane mixture and oxychlordane, tended to decrease with increasing PCBs or DDE levels, but was unrelated to mercury. Breeding probability decreased with increasing mercury levels during the sampling year and with increasing CHL or HCB levels during the following year, especially in males observed as breeders. Surprisingly, the probability of raising two chicks increased with increasing HCB levels. Although levels of these legacy pollutants are expected to decline, they represent a potential threat for adult survival rate and breeding probability, possibly affecting kittiwake population dynamics.
authors: École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), SPL, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7619, METIS, F-75005 Paris, France; Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, BP 14, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France. Electronic address: aurelie.goutte@ephe.sorbonne.fr.
authors: Aurélie
authors: A
authors: Goutte
authors: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, BP 14, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors: Christophe
authors: C
authors: Barbraud
authors: NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, FRAM, High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Dorte
authors: D
authors: Herzke
authors: Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
authors: Paco
authors: P
authors: Bustamante
authors: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, BP 14, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors: Frédéric
authors: F
authors: Angelier
authors: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, BP 14, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors: Sabrina
authors: S
authors: Tartu
authors: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, BP 14, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors: Céline
authors: C
authors: Clément-Chastel
authors: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, FRAM, High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Børge
authors: B
authors: Moe
authors: Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
authors: Claus
authors: C
authors: Bech
authors: Norwegian Polar Research Institute, FRAM Centre High North Research on Climate and the Environment, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Geir W
authors: GW
authors: Gabrielsen
authors: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, FRAM, High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Jan Ove
authors: JO
authors: Bustnes
authors: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, BP 14, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors: Olivier
authors: O
authors: Chastel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001110:Arctic Regions; D001947:Breeding; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000097:blood*; D002706:Chlordan / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood; D015996:Survival Rate; D013538:Svalbard
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D002706:Chlordan; C008743:oxychlordane; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Heavy metals; Kittiwake; PCBs; Pesticides; Population