title: Wide range of metallic and organic contaminants in various tissues of the Antarctic prion, a planktonophagous seabird from the Southern Ocean.
abstract: Trace elements (n=14) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs, n=30) were measured in blood, liver, kidney, muscle and feathers of 10 Antarctic prions (Pachyptila desolata) from Kerguelen Islands, southern Indian Ocean, in order to assess their concentrations, tissue distribution, and inter-tissue and inter-contaminant relationships. Liver, kidney and feathers presented the highest burdens of arsenic, cadmium and mercury, respectively. Concentrations of cadmium, copper, iron, and zinc correlated in liver and muscle, suggesting that uptake and pathways of metabolism and storage were similar for these elements. The major POPs were 4,4'-DDE, mirex, PCB-153 and PCB-138. The concentrations and tissue distribution patterns of environmental contaminants were overall in accordance with previous results in other seabirds. Conversely, some Antarctic prions showed surprisingly high concentrations of BDE-209. This compound has been rarely observed in seabirds before, and its presence in Antarctic prions could be due to the species feeding habits or to the ingestion of plastic debris. Overall, the study shows that relatively lower trophic level seabirds (zooplankton-eaters) breeding in the remote southern Indian Ocean are exposed to a wide range of environmental contaminants, in particular cadmium, selenium and some emerging-POPs, which merits further toxicological investigations.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fromant
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France; Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France. Electronic address: carravieri@cebc.cnrs.fr.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carravieri
authors.affiliation: Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
authors.forename: Paco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bustamante
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5805 EPOC (LPTC Research Group), Université Bordeaux, 351 Cours de la Libération, F 33405 Talence Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Labadie
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5805 EPOC (LPTC Research Group), Université Bordeaux, 351 Cours de la Libération, F 33405 Talence Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Budzinski
authors.affiliation: Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5805 EPOC (LPTC Research Group), Université Bordeaux, 351 Cours de la Libération, F 33405 Talence Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peluhet
authors.affiliation: Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Churlaud
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chastel
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cherel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001717:Birds / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005241:Feathers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants
keywords: Blood; Feathers; Metal; POPs; Procellariiformes; Trace elements