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Souza JS, Pacyna-Kuchta AD, Teixeira da Cunha LS, Costa ES, Niedzielski P, Machado Torres JP. Interspecific and intraspecific variation in organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls using non-destructive samples from Pygoscelis penguins. Environ Pollut 2021; 275:116590. [PMID: 33582630 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
As humans are present in Antarctica only for scientific and tourism-related purposes, it is often described as a pristine region. However, studies have identified measurable levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in the Antarctic region. These are highly toxic anthropogenic compounds with tendency to travel long distances and reach remote environments, where they can bioaccumulate in the biota. Penguins are exposed to POPs mainly through their diet, which they partially eliminate via feathers. Species of the genus Pygoscelis occur around Antarctic continent and its surrounding regions, and can act as indicators of contaminants that reach the continent. Here, we report OCP and PCB levels in feathers of male and female penguins of P. adeliae, P. antarcticus and P. papua from King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Interspecific, sex- and body-size-related differences were investigated in the contamination profiles of PCBs and OCPs. Feather samples were collected from adult penguins (n = 41). Quantification of compounds was performed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The three Pygoscelis species presented similar contamination profiles, with higher concentrations of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (∑DDT; 1.56-3.82 ng g-1 dw), lighter PCB congeners (∑PCB: 11.81-18.65 ng g-1 dw) and HCB (hexachlorobenzene: 1.65-4.06 ng g-1 dw). Amongst the three penguin species, P. antarcticus had lower and P. papua higher concentrations of most of the compounds identified. We found interspecific differences in POPs accumulation as well as sex differences in POP concentrations. Our data indicate a small but significant positive correlation between body size and the concentrations of some compounds. Despite the overall low concentrations found, this study increases knowledge of the occurrence of POPs in Antarctic penguins, thereby reinforcing concerns that Antarctica, although remote and perceived to be protected, is not free from the impact of anthropogenic pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Silva Souza
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna Franca e de Micropoluentes Jan Japenga, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CCS, Bloco G, Sala G0-61, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Aneta Dorota Pacyna-Kuchta
- Department of Colloid and Lipid Science, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza Street, 80-233, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Larissa Schmauder Teixeira da Cunha
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna Franca e de Micropoluentes Jan Japenga, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CCS, Bloco G, Sala G0-61, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Erli Schneider Costa
- Mestrado Profissional em Ambiente e Sustentabilidade, Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul. Unidade Universitária Hortênsias. Rua Assis Brasil, 842 - Centro., CEP: 95400-000, São Francisco de Paula, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Przemysław Niedzielski
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - João Paulo Machado Torres
- Laboratório de Radioisótopos Eduardo Penna Franca e de Micropoluentes Jan Japenga, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CCS, Bloco G, Sala G0-61, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Pacyna-Kuchta AD, Jakubas D, Frankowski M, Polkowska Ż, Wojczulanis-Jakubas K. Exposure of a small Arctic seabird, the little auk (Alle alle) breeding in Svalbard, to selected elements throughout the course of a year. Sci Total Environ 2020; 732:139103. [PMID: 32428770 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic marine ecosystem can be altered by processes of natural and anthropogenic origin. Spatio-temporal variation in species exposure to contamination is still poorly understood. Here, we studied elemental concentrations in the non-lethally collected samples from the most numerous seabird in European Arctic, the little auk (Alle alle) nesting in one breeding colony in Svalbard. This seabird spent the breeding season in the high-Arctic zone and the non-breeding period in sub-Arctic areas what may implicate spatio-temporal variation in elements bioaccumulation. We determined concentrations of 19 elements in adults feathers to determine levels of exposure during part of the pre-breeding (n = 74) and post-breeding (n = 74) seasons, feathers from nestlings (n = 18) to determine local contamination, and chick down (n = 16) and post-hatching eggshells (n = 18) to determine maternal input to offspring. During the pre-breeding period adults accumulated in their feathers significantly more Hg (one third of feathers exceeded the established toxicity threshold), Se and Mn compared to the post-breeding period. It reflects a higher exposition of birds to contaminants in pre-breeding moult areas outside the High Arctic compared to the post-breeding moult in the High Arctic. Sex differences in adult feathers representing the post-breeding period were found only for Ca and Zn with higher values in females. Chick down was characterized by high levels of several essential elements, an intermediate level of Hg and Se, and the highest Se:Hg molar ratios of all groups. Chick body feathers had the highest level of Cu and K among all the studied groups. Post-hatching eggshells were characterized by high Sr level (exceeding 2000 μg/g). Concentrations of several non-essential elements (Bi, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni and Pb) in them were below method detection limits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Dorota Pacyna-Kuchta
- Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Colloid and Lipid Science, 11/12 Narutowicza Street, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Dariusz Jakubas
- University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Marcin Frankowski
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Żaneta Polkowska
- Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry, 11/12 Narutowicza Street, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
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Pacyna-Kuchta AD, Wietrzyk-Pełka P, Węgrzyn MH, Frankowski M, Polkowska Ż. A screening of select toxic and essential elements and persistent organic pollutants in the fur of Svalbard reindeer. Chemosphere 2020; 245:125458. [PMID: 31846790 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Reindeers play an important role in the polar ecosystem, being long-lived sole vegetarians feeding on local vegetation. They can be used as a valuable bioindicator, helping us to understand contaminants' impact on the polar terrestrial ecosystem. Still, scarce data exist from research in which polar herbivores (especially those from the European parts of the Arctic) were a major study subject for trace elements and persistent organic pollutant determination. Here, Svalbard reindeer fur has been used to determine metals, non-metals and metalloids using ICP-MS, and several persistent organic pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using gas chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS). Samples were collected from reindeer populations living in the area near Ny-Ålesund and Longyearbyen. Essential elements like Fe, Mg, Zn, K, Ca, Cu predominated in the trace elements profile. Median values of As, Cd, Co, Li, Ni, Se and V were all below 0.5 μg/g dw. Mercury was below detection limit in all samples, while the Pb median varied from 0.35 to 0.74 μg/g dw. Except acenaphthylene and fluorene, PAHs were detectable only in samples collected in the vicinity of Longyearbyen. Of 15 studied pesticides, only DDT and its metabolites were above the detection limit, and, of PCBs, only PCB28.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Dorota Pacyna-Kuchta
- Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Colloid and Lipid Science, 11/12 Narutowicza Street, 80-233, Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Paulina Wietrzyk-Pełka
- Jagiellonian University, Prof. Z. Czeppe Department of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Gronostajowa 3, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Michał Hubert Węgrzyn
- Jagiellonian University, Prof. Z. Czeppe Department of Polar Research and Documentation, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Gronostajowa 3, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marcin Frankowski
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Water and Soil Analysis, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Żaneta Polkowska
- Gdańsk University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry, 11/12 Narutowicza Street, 80-233, Gdańsk, Poland
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