Concentration of fifty-six elements in excreta of penguins from the Antarctic Peninsula area.
Mar Pollut Bull
; 192: 115133, 2023 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37276708
ABSTRACT
Seabird feces as indicators of the exposure to environmental contaminants have been studied worldwide. Penguins are indicator species for marine pollution, but their role as biovectors of rare earth elements (REEs) to ecosystems have been little studied. The present study quantified the concentration of REEs and trace elements (TEs) in feces of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua). Adult penguin excreta from Fildes Bay (King George Island) and Yelcho Base (Palmer Archipelago) were collected and then analyzed by ICP-MS. Among REEs, levels ranged from 0.0038 to 1.02 µg g-1 d.w. for Lu and Ce, respectively. For TEs, the levels varied widely through the sample set, with Al, Fe, Sr, Zn and Ti as the highest mean levels, particularly at Fildes Bay. The data show that gentoo penguins act as a biovector organism by transporting TEs and REEs from the sea to land via excreta, reaffirming that this species acts as an important biovector organism in Antarctic ecosystems. The potential impacts of this process on Antarctic ecosystems needs further research.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Oligoelementos
/
Spheniscidae
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article