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Pérez de Vargas A, Cuadrado M, Camarero PR, Mateo R. An assessment of eggshell pigments as non-invasive biomarkers of organochlorine pollutants in gull-billed tern. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 732:139210. [PMID: 32438180 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Eggshell pigmentation has been assessed as an indicator of exposure to environmental pollutants in birds, but these studies have only used reflectance spectrophotometry to measure such pigmentation. The present study is the first one that measures eggshell pigments and pollutants in the same eggs to explore their use as biomarkers in birds. We have studied the concentration of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the content of 97 deserted eggs of gull-billed terns (Gelochelidon nilotica) after the abandonment of the colony in Mesas de Asta (Cádiz, S Spain) in 2012. Eggshell thickness and stage of embryo development were studied together along with the concentrations of protoporphyrin IX and biliverdin in eggshells. p,p'-DDE concentrations were high when compared with other studies done with terns in the Mediterranean basin in the past. p,p'-DDE and PCB levels associated with reduced reproductive success were found in 5.1% and 2.1% of the eggs respectively. Eggshell index was largely affected by the embryo development stage, which highlights the need of knowing this information to avoid potential biases in the interpretation of results. The concentrations of protoporphyrin IX and biliverdin in the eggs of gull-billed terns were negatively associated with DDTs levels, which seems to confirm previous observations with phylogenetically related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Pérez de Vargas
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain; Veterinary Diagnostic and Research Unit, Veterinary Section, Al Ain Zoo, PO Box 1204, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mariano Cuadrado
- ZooBotánico Jerez - Ayuntamiento de Jerez, Madreselva s/n, 11408 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Pablo R Camarero
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
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López-Perea JJ, Mateo R. Wax esters of uropygial gland secretion as biomarkers of endocrine disruption in birds exposed to treated sewage water. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 250:323-330. [PMID: 31003144 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.04.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The chemical composition of the uropygial gland secretion of birds shows seasonal, sex and age-related variations following sex hormones fluctuations. We explore the use of the composition of the uropygial gland secretion as a non-invasive biomarker of endocrine disruption in 137 common moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) from Navaseca Pond, which receives the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant, and from the more pristine Tablas de Daimiel National Park in Spain. Wax ester and fatty acid compositions were measured by means gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the uropygial gland secretion of moorhens from both wetlands. Organochlorine compounds (p,p'-DDE and PCBs) were measured in blood and uropygial gland secretion of moorhens as indicators of anthropogenic pollutants, and this information was interpreted together with previous results of the accumulation of metals and metalloids in blood and feathers of these moorhens and a wide range of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) measured in water from both study sites. PCBs and p,p'-DDE were found in 32% of the blood and 51% of uropygial gland secretion samples, being at highest levels in Navaseca. Wax composition was dominated by monoesters of 35-38 carbons and displayed a clear seasonal variation, in which long-chain wax esters were more abundant in spring-summer than in autumn-winter. This seasonal change was less evident in birds from Navaseca, where the presence of shorter wax esters was associated with the higher concentration of PCBs in uropygial gland secretion. The observed effect may not be associated with this specific type of pollutants because moorhens in Navaseca are also exposed to a wide diversity endocrine disruptors as shown in a previous study. Uropygial gland secretion can be a useful non-invasive sample for integrating chemical monitoring of pollutants and their effects as endocrine disruptors in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhon J López-Perea
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC, UCLM, JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain.
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Oudi A, Chokri MA, Hammouda A, Chaabane R, Badraoui R, Besnard A, Santos R. Physiological impacts of pollution exposure in seabird's progeny nesting in a Mediterranean contaminated area. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2019; 142:196-205. [PMID: 31232295 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic wildlife is exposed through trophic transfer of hazardous substances to several threats inducing physiological impairments. We aimed at assessing the impact of contamination in one of the hot spots of pollution along Mediterranean coasts, the gulf of Gabes in Tunisia, on Common tern Sterna hirundo, a piscivorous top predator bird. Firstly, we compared the reproductive effort of breeding adults through clutch size distribution in three sites with different levels of pollution. Then, a battery of genotoxicity and oxidative stress biomarkers was carried out to assess physiological impairments in chicks. While defense mechanisms showed a depletion, lipid peroxidation and genotoxicity increased significantly according to pollution level. The multi-biomarker approach used here, discriminated chicks according to contamination degree of their nesting sites. Increases in genotoxicity and oxidative stress were correlated to a decrease in chick body mass known to lead to long-term impacts on juvenile survival and recruitment in birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abir Oudi
- UR17ES44-"Ecologie de la Faune Terrestre", University of Gabès, Faculty of Sciences, Zrig 6072, Gabès, Tunisia
| | - Mohamed Ali Chokri
- UR17ES44-"Ecologie de la Faune Terrestre", University of Gabès, Faculty of Sciences, Zrig 6072, Gabès, Tunisia
| | - Abdessalem Hammouda
- UR17ES44-"Ecologie de la Faune Terrestre", University of Gabès, Faculty of Sciences, Zrig 6072, Gabès, Tunisia
| | - Rim Chaabane
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, CHU Hédi Chaker of Sfax, 3029 Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Riadh Badraoui
- Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sfax, 3029 Sfax, Tunisia
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- EPHE, PSL Research University, CNRS, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE, F-34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Raphaël Santos
- EPHE, PSL Research University, CNRS, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE, F-34293 Montpellier, France; HEPIA, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, Ecology and Engineering of Aquatic Systems research group, 150 Route de Presinge, CH-1254 Jussy, Switzerland.
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Mateo R, Millán J, Rodríguez-Estival J, Camarero PR, Palomares F, Ortiz-Santaliestra ME. Levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in the critically endangered Iberian lynx and other sympatric carnivores in Spain. CHEMOSPHERE 2012; 86:691-700. [PMID: 22099537 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2011] [Revised: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 10/20/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Accumulation of organochlorine compounds is well studied in aquatic food chains whereas little information is available from terrestrial food chains. This study presents data of organochlorine levels in tissue and plasma samples of 15 critically endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and other 55 wild carnivores belonging to five species from three natural areas of Spain (Doñana National Park, Sierra Morena and Lozoya River) and explores their relationship with species diet. The Iberian lynx, with a diet based on the consumption of rabbit, had lower PCB levels (geometric means, plasma: <0.01 ng mL(-1), liver: 0.4ngg(-1) wet weight, fat: 87 ng g(-1)lipid weight) than other carnivores with more anthropic and opportunistic foraging behavior, such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes; plasma: 1.11 ng mL(-1), liver: 459 ng g(-1), fat: 1984 ng g(-1)), or with diets including reptiles at higher proportion, such as the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon; plasma: 7.15 ng mL(-1), liver: 216 ng g(-1), fat: 540 ng g(-1)), or the common genet (Genetta genetta; liver: 466 ng g(-1), fat: 3854 ng g(-1)). Chlorinated pesticides showed interspecific variations similar to PCBs. Organochlorine levels have declined since the 80s in carnivores from Doñana National Park, but PCB levels are still of concern in Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra; liver: 3873-5426 ng g(-1)) from the industrialized region of Madrid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
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van Drooge B, Mateo R, Vives I, Cardiel I, Guitart R. Organochlorine residue levels in livers of birds of prey from Spain: inter-species comparison in relation with diet and migratory patterns. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2008; 153:84-91. [PMID: 17889416 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2007.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2007] [Revised: 07/24/2007] [Accepted: 07/27/2007] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Livers from 130 specimens corresponding to 18 species of raptors from Spain were analysed for persistent organochlorine (OC) residues. In all species, p,p'-DDE was the most abundant individual OC compound detected, with geometric means ranging from 61 to 40,086 ng/g ww. The geometric mean for summation operator PCB ranged from 225 to 9184 ng/g ww. Migration to Africa, south of Sahara, where p,p'-DDT is still in use, was not associated with higher liver concentrations of its metabolite, p,p'-DDE. The presence of birds in the diet of the species was an important species-specific factor determining the mean liver concentrations of p,p'-DDE and summation operator PCB. The effect of the diet on OC concentrations in liver is explained by the lower metabolising capacity of OC compounds in birds, especially for p,p'-DDE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barend van Drooge
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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Hebert CE, Arts MT, Weseloh DVC. Ecological tracers can quantify food web structure and change. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2006; 40:5618-23. [PMID: 17007117 DOI: 10.1021/es0520619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Disruption of natural food webs is becoming a commonplace occurrence as a result of human activities. Considering this, there is a need to improve our ability to define food web structure as well as to detect and understand the implications of trophodynamic change. This requires the development, validation, and application of ecologicaltracers that can provide insights into the movement of energy, nutrients, and contaminants through food webs. In this study, we examine the utility of two groups of naturally occurring intrinsic tracers (stable nitrogen isotopes and fatty acids) to provide such information in a predatory seabird, the herring gull (Larus argentatus). Spatial and temporal patterns in gull trophic position (inferred from egg stable nitrogen isotope values) were related to gull diet composition (inferred from egg fatty acid concentrations). These two independent groups of ecological tracers provided corroborating evidence that gull trophic position was related to the degree to which aquatic foods, namely fish, were consumed. The use of these tracers in concert led to a better understanding of routes of energy flow and contaminant transfer in food webs and how these pathways may be affected by ecosystem change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig E Hebert
- Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H3, Canada.
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Piqué E, Mateo R, Fernández-Fernández D, Guitart R. Persistent organochlorine residues in livers of six species of Ciconiiformes (aves) from Spain. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH. PART. B, PESTICIDES, FOOD CONTAMINANTS, AND AGRICULTURAL WASTES 2006; 41:671-9. [PMID: 16785174 DOI: 10.1080/03601230600701833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Liver samples of 42 birds belonging to 6 species of Ciconiiformes (grey heron (n = 17), little egret (n = 12), cattle egret (n = 1), glossy ibis (n = 1), little bittern (n = 1), and white stork (n = 10)), collected from two different zones of Spain (Ebro Delta and Madrid) in 1992-1997, were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides and PCBs. SigmaPCBs (sum of concentrations of individual congeners), p,p'-DDE, HCB, gamma-HCH, and heptachlor epoxide were the most prevalent residues detected in all samples (occurrence > 95%). There were no statistically significant differences in organochlorine levels between grey herons and little egrets, while levels of SigmaPCBs, p,p'-DDE, HCB, gamma-HCH, and heptachlor were significantly lower for white storks. These results could be explained by the different habitat of these species, aquatic in the Ebro Delta (grey herons, little egrets) and dry in Madrid (white stork), and their diverse feeding habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Piqué
- Unit of General Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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Guitart R, Clavero R, Mateo R, Máñez M. Levels of persistent organochlorine residues in eggs of greater flamingos from the Guadalquivir marshes (Doñana), Spain. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH. PART. B, PESTICIDES, FOOD CONTAMINANTS, AND AGRICULTURAL WASTES 2005; 40:753-60. [PMID: 16190019 DOI: 10.1080/03601230500189394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) residue levels were determined in 53 unhatched eggs from greater roseus flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). Eggs were collected in 1996 from the National Park of Doñana (Guadalquivir marshes, Southwest Spain), immediately after one breeding colony abandoned the nesting site due to predator attacks. The main metabolite of p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, was the OCP residue found at higher concentrations, with a geometric mean of 721 ng/g wet weight. Residues of other pesticides, including some hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, hexachlorobenzene, aldrin, heptachlor, and heptachlor-epoxide, were detected at much lower concentrations. The sum of PCBs was 528 ng/g, with PCB congeners #187 and #153 being the most prominent in eggs. The pattern observed in these compounds of industrial origin corresponded more to Aroclor 1260 than to any other commercial mixture. Levels of organochlorine residues indicate a medium degree of exposure, and they are not considered of any concern for the flamingo population. In particular, neither p,p'-DDE nor PCB levels were found to be correlated with the eggshell thickness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raimon Guitart
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
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