The influence of migration patterns on exposure to contaminants in Nearctic shorebirds: a historical study.
Environ Monit Assess
; 192(4): 256, 2020 Mar 30.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32232588
ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s, many populations of shorebirds, including those breeding in the Arctic region, have been declining. One factor that may contribute to some of these declines is exposure to contaminants throughout the annual cycle. Here, we compared contaminant exposure (organochlorines, toxic trace elements) of four Arctic-breeding shorebirds (semipalmated plover Charadrius semipalmatus, semipalmated sandpiper Calidris pusilla, lesser yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, and short-billed dowitcher Limnodromus griseus), collected during breeding, migration, and wintering to examine how and when contaminants might pose a threat to these species. In general, plovers and dowitchers had higher levels of most organochlorine pesticides, and renal cadmium (Cd) and selenium (Se) than the other species. Although we found seasonal differences, no clear patterns in contaminant concentrations among sampling locations were detected but the concentrations found at the breeding grounds were always the highest for chlorinated pesticides and mercury (Hg). Our results suggest that birds migrating south are slowly depurating contaminant burdens, and that spring-migrating birds were exposed to primarily North American rather than Latin American contaminant sources at the time of sampling. We present these data collected in the 1990s to better interpret current-day trends, and potential contaminant exposure impacts on shorebird populations.
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Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Monitoramento Ambiental
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Charadriiformes
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Mercúrio
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article