Contamination status and accumulation characteristics of heavy metals andarsenic in five seabird species from the central Bering Sea

[摘要] Seabirds are marine top predators and accumulate high levels of metals and metalloids intheir tissues. Contamination by metals in the highly productive offshore region has becomea matter of public concern. It is home to 80% of the seabird population in the U.S.A., 95%of northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), and major populations ofSteller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), walruses (Odobenusrosmarus) and whales. Here, the concentrations of eight heavy metals (Hg, Cd,Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb) and a metalloid (As) in the liver and kidneys of the northernfulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), thick-billed murre (Urialomvia), short-tailed shearwater (Puffinus tenuirostris),tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) and horned puffin (Fraterculacorniculata) collected in the Bering Sea were measured. As proxies of trophiclevel and habitat, nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) stable isotoperatios of breast muscles were also measured. Hepatic Hg concentration was high in northernfulmar, whereas Cd level was high in tufted puffin and northern fulmar. The Hgconcentration and δ15N value were positively correlated across individualbirds, suggesting that Hg uptake was linked to the trophic status of consumed prey.Furthermore, Hg concentration in our study was higher than those of the same species ofseabirds collected in 1990.

[学科分类] 兽医学

[关键词] Bering Sea;cadmium;mercury;seabird