The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Paiva, Vitor H.
Data de Publicação: 2008
Outros Autores: Tavares, Paula C., Ramos, Jaime A., Pereira, Eduarda, Antunes, Sandra, Duarte, Armando C.
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10316/7870
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9118-x
Resumo: We assessed mercury levels in the feathers of little tern (Sternula albifrons) chicks from hatching to fledging and in their prey captured by adults in three main foraging habitats: lagoon, salinas, and adjacent sea. These data were used to model mercury concentration in chick feathers through food ingestion, in order to explore the effects that changes in diet would have on the mercury burden of chicks as they aged. The mercury concentration in feathers of chicks raised in sandy beaches was higher than in those raised in salinas. Lagoon prey had a significantly higher mercury concentration (0.18 ± 0.09 µg g-1 dry weight [d.w.]) than prey from salinas and the adjacent sea (both 0.06 ± 0.03 µg g-1 d.w.). In relation to prey species group, mercury content was significantly higher for bottom fish (0.17 ± 0.10 µg g-1 d.w.) than for pelagic (0.08 ± 0.06 µg g-1 d.w.), euryhaline fish (0.04 ± 0.02 µg g-1 d.w.), and crustacea (0.08 ± 0.03 µg g-1 d.w.). To understand the importance of mercury content of each prey group, we ran several theoretical scenarios assuming that chicks were fed on only one species at a time. Considering a diet restricted to lagoon (mostly benthic) prey, A- and B-chicks may encounter health problems with an excess of mercury. On the contrary, a diet restricted to marine (mostly pelagic) prey would decrease the mercury concentration in chick feathers; the fast growth rate and the related mercury dilution effect in little tern chicks seem to decrease mercury levels in their feathers. Our study supports the fact that marine pelagic prey are important for estuarine seabirds because they provide a food resource with lower contamination levels. This model may have a wider application in similar seabird species and coastal environments.
id RCAP_49d5b83ceb8a5c323b2095eb98b185f6
oai_identifier_str oai:estudogeral.uc.pt:10316/7870
network_acronym_str RCAP
network_name_str Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
repository_id_str 7160
spelling The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern ChicksWe assessed mercury levels in the feathers of little tern (Sternula albifrons) chicks from hatching to fledging and in their prey captured by adults in three main foraging habitats: lagoon, salinas, and adjacent sea. These data were used to model mercury concentration in chick feathers through food ingestion, in order to explore the effects that changes in diet would have on the mercury burden of chicks as they aged. The mercury concentration in feathers of chicks raised in sandy beaches was higher than in those raised in salinas. Lagoon prey had a significantly higher mercury concentration (0.18 ± 0.09 µg g-1 dry weight [d.w.]) than prey from salinas and the adjacent sea (both 0.06 ± 0.03 µg g-1 d.w.). In relation to prey species group, mercury content was significantly higher for bottom fish (0.17 ± 0.10 µg g-1 d.w.) than for pelagic (0.08 ± 0.06 µg g-1 d.w.), euryhaline fish (0.04 ± 0.02 µg g-1 d.w.), and crustacea (0.08 ± 0.03 µg g-1 d.w.). To understand the importance of mercury content of each prey group, we ran several theoretical scenarios assuming that chicks were fed on only one species at a time. Considering a diet restricted to lagoon (mostly benthic) prey, A- and B-chicks may encounter health problems with an excess of mercury. On the contrary, a diet restricted to marine (mostly pelagic) prey would decrease the mercury concentration in chick feathers; the fast growth rate and the related mercury dilution effect in little tern chicks seem to decrease mercury levels in their feathers. Our study supports the fact that marine pelagic prey are important for estuarine seabirds because they provide a food resource with lower contamination levels. This model may have a wider application in similar seabird species and coastal environments.Springer2008info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://hdl.handle.net/10316/7870http://hdl.handle.net/10316/7870https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9118-xengArchives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 55:2 (2008) 317-328Paiva, Vitor H.Tavares, Paula C.Ramos, Jaime A.Pereira, EduardaAntunes, SandraDuarte, Armando C.info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2020-05-29T10:04:52Zoai:estudogeral.uc.pt:10316/7870Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T20:55:54.164966Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
title The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
spellingShingle The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
Paiva, Vitor H.
title_short The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
title_full The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
title_fullStr The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
title_full_unstemmed The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
title_sort The Influence of Diet on Mercury Intake by Little Tern Chicks
author Paiva, Vitor H.
author_facet Paiva, Vitor H.
Tavares, Paula C.
Ramos, Jaime A.
Pereira, Eduarda
Antunes, Sandra
Duarte, Armando C.
author_role author
author2 Tavares, Paula C.
Ramos, Jaime A.
Pereira, Eduarda
Antunes, Sandra
Duarte, Armando C.
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Paiva, Vitor H.
Tavares, Paula C.
Ramos, Jaime A.
Pereira, Eduarda
Antunes, Sandra
Duarte, Armando C.
description We assessed mercury levels in the feathers of little tern (Sternula albifrons) chicks from hatching to fledging and in their prey captured by adults in three main foraging habitats: lagoon, salinas, and adjacent sea. These data were used to model mercury concentration in chick feathers through food ingestion, in order to explore the effects that changes in diet would have on the mercury burden of chicks as they aged. The mercury concentration in feathers of chicks raised in sandy beaches was higher than in those raised in salinas. Lagoon prey had a significantly higher mercury concentration (0.18 ± 0.09 µg g-1 dry weight [d.w.]) than prey from salinas and the adjacent sea (both 0.06 ± 0.03 µg g-1 d.w.). In relation to prey species group, mercury content was significantly higher for bottom fish (0.17 ± 0.10 µg g-1 d.w.) than for pelagic (0.08 ± 0.06 µg g-1 d.w.), euryhaline fish (0.04 ± 0.02 µg g-1 d.w.), and crustacea (0.08 ± 0.03 µg g-1 d.w.). To understand the importance of mercury content of each prey group, we ran several theoretical scenarios assuming that chicks were fed on only one species at a time. Considering a diet restricted to lagoon (mostly benthic) prey, A- and B-chicks may encounter health problems with an excess of mercury. On the contrary, a diet restricted to marine (mostly pelagic) prey would decrease the mercury concentration in chick feathers; the fast growth rate and the related mercury dilution effect in little tern chicks seem to decrease mercury levels in their feathers. Our study supports the fact that marine pelagic prey are important for estuarine seabirds because they provide a food resource with lower contamination levels. This model may have a wider application in similar seabird species and coastal environments.
publishDate 2008
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2008
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10316/7870
http://hdl.handle.net/10316/7870
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9118-x
url http://hdl.handle.net/10316/7870
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9118-x
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 55:2 (2008) 317-328
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
instacron:RCAAP
instname_str Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
instacron_str RCAAP
institution RCAAP
reponame_str Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
collection Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1817552766035296256