Persistent organic pollutants and porphyrin levels in excreta of penguin colonies from the Antarctic Peninsula area

Polar Record ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solange Jara-Carrasco ◽  
Ricardo Barra ◽  
Winfred Espejo ◽  
José E. Celis ◽  
Daniel González-Acuña ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
Gentoo Penguin ◽  
Pygoscelis Adeliae ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica ◽  
Biomonitoring Tool ◽  
Animal Exposure ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACTPersistent organic pollutants (POPs) and their effects on Antarctic seabirds by using excreta as a non-destructive biomonitoring tool have received little consideration. Here we determine the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and some organochlorine pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorobencene (HCB), heptachlor, and endrin aldehyde in penguin excreta. Animal exposure to these environmental contaminants was determined through porphyrins in penguin droppings. Stool samples of Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) and gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) were collected on two locations of the Antarctic Peninsula area: Base O´Higgins (Antarctic Peninsula) and Ardley Island (King George Island). Despite POPs have been banned more than three decades ago, the levels (ng g−1ww) of PCBs (1.45-2.35), DDTs (1.33-1.76), HCB (0.51-1.70), endrin (0.48-0.71) and heptachlor (0.97-2.40) showed that these pollutants are still present in Antarctica. Porphyrin levels in excreta (4.6-6.7 nmol g−1dw) were significantly correlated to POPs, indicating certain chemical exposure on penguin colonies that inhabit the Antarctic Peninsula area. The levels of heptachlor found in penguin guano may be affecting some biota in terrestrial sites next to nesting places. Further studies and better understanding of POPs impact on animal performance in Antarctic biota are recommended.

scholarly journals Dynamics of Numbers and Occurrence of Colonial Species of Birds in the Area of Ukrainian Antarctic Station Akademik Vernadsky

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 491-500
Author(s):  
V. M. Smagol ◽  
D. V. Pilipenko ◽  
A. O. Dzhulai
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Gentoo Penguin ◽  
Chinstrap Penguin ◽  
Pygoscelis Adeliae ◽  
The North ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica ◽  
Time Gap ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Green Island

Abstract The research covers water area, island archipelagos and coastal line of the Antarctic Peninsula from 65°31ʹ S, 64°25ʹ W in the South to 65°03ʹ S, 63°53ʹ W in the North. There was time gap of 7 years between the researches (2011 and 2018), which allows to define tendencies in development of individual colonies and to make conclusion about success of existence of a given species. The work itself was carried out during the first half of January, that is in the time when the stage of brooding ends and the period of hatching starts. As of 2011, 12 nesting points of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) with total number of 8,342 pairs were found in the region under investigation. Till 2018, quantity of the colony grew to 14, with total number of 14,105 pairs. For seven years, quantity of nesting points of aelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) almost did not change (4 colonies). Instead, total number of the species decreased somewhat: from 3559 pairsin 2011 to 3295 onesin 2018. Number of chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) in united stable locality for nesting also decreased from 26 pairsin 2011 to19 onesin 2018. Booth Island (65°04ʹ S, 64°02ʹ W) for chinstrap penguins and Green Island (65°19ʹ S, 64°09ʹ W) for gentoo penguins are the southern most points of nesting range of the species. Also, 7 colonies of antarctic shag (Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis) were revealed in the region under investigation. For seven years from 2011 to 2018 total number of the species in the region under investigation grew from 190 pairs to 299, and in most cases the antarctics shag forms settlements jointly with penguins.

Apparent absence ofCryptosporidium, GiardiaandToxoplasma gondiiin three species of penguins along the Antarctic Peninsula

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria José Palacios ◽  
Andrés Barbosa ◽  
Susana Pedraza-Díaz ◽  
Luis Miguel Ortega-Mora ◽  
Francisco Valera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Protozoan Parasites ◽  
Pygoscelis Adeliae ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Apparent Absence ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Shetland Islands ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractWe carried out a study to investigate the presence of some protozoan parasites (Cryptosporidiumsp.,Giardiasp.,Toxoplasma gondii) on three species of Antarctic penguins: Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae), gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) and chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) from different locations along the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. Swabs and faeces samples were analysed by PCR assay forCryptosporidiumsp. andGiardiasp. whileToxoplasmawas studied using serological methods from blood samples. We did not detect the presence of these organisms in the species studied. However, based on the upper values of the confidence intervals of the observed prevalence, their presence cannot be completely excluded.

scholarly journals Eighty years of chemical exposure profiles of persistent organic pollutants reconstructed through baleen whale earplugs

2020 ◽  
Vol 737 ◽  
pp. 139564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zach C. Winfield ◽  
Farzaneh Mansouri ◽  
Charles W. Potter ◽  
Richard Sabin ◽  
Stephen J. Trumble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
Baleen Whale

Ornithological observations at Eckener Point, Antarctic Peninsula

Polar Record ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J Woehler ◽  
Louise Blight ◽  
Ian Bullock
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Avian Species ◽  
Nesting Habitat ◽  
The West ◽  
Lichen Diversity ◽  
Unpublished Report ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic

Eckener Point (64° 26′S; 61° 36′W) lies on the northeast side of the entrance to Charlotte Bay and southeast of Murray Island, on the west coast of Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula (Fig. 1). Data from a 1987 census (Woehler 1993) show 40 breeding pairs of chinstrap penguins Pygoscelis antarctica at the site. An unpublished report of 180 nests of blue-eyed cormorant Phalacrocorax atriceps/bransfieldensis (S Poncet, personal communication, 2004) in 1983 is the only other ornithological record for the site. Here we report on the results of a brief survey conducted to document the breeding seabirds for this locality. Suitable ice-free sites on the Antarctic Peninsula are limited, and Eckener Point, though small, provides nesting habitat for a high number of avian species. Plant and lichen diversity also appears unusually high.

Persistent organic pollutants and porphyrins biomarkers in penguin faeces from Kopaitic Island and Antarctic Peninsula

2016 ◽  
Vol 573 ◽  
pp. 1390-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Rudolph ◽  
Gustavo Chiang ◽  
Cristóbal Galbán-Malagón ◽  
Rafael Mendoza ◽  
Miguel Martinez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants

Censuses of penguin, blue-eyed shag, and southern giant petrel populations in the Antarctic Peninsula region, 1994–2000

Polar Record ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 36 (199) ◽  
pp. 323-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron Naveen ◽  
Steven C. Forrest ◽  
Rosemary G. Dagit ◽  
Louise K. Blight ◽  
Wayne Z. Trivelpiece ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Gentoo Penguin ◽  
Population Estimates ◽  
Giant Petrel ◽  
Southern Giant Petrel ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
First Time ◽  
Pygoscelid Penguins

AbstractThis paper presents new census data and population estimates for penguins, blue-eyed shags, and southern giant petrels from 26 sites in the Antarctic Peninsula, collected by the Antarctic Site Inventory from 1994 to 2000. For nine sites, population data or estimates are published for the first time. The newly discovered gentoo penguin population of 215 nests at Herofna Island (63°24'S, 54°36'W) represents the easternmost location where this species has been found breeding in the Peninsula. All three pygoscelid penguins — gentoo, Adelie, and chinstrap — were found breeding at Gourdin Island (63° 12'S, 57° 18'W), the fourth known site where these species nest contiguously in the Peninsula. During the period, significant declines in nesting populations of blue-eyed shag were documented at three northwestern Peninsula locations.

Potential immunohaematological effects of persistent organic pollutants on chinstrap penguin

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Jara-Carrasco ◽  
M. González ◽  
D. González-Acuña ◽  
G. Chiang ◽  
J. Celis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Red Blood Cells ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Chinstrap Penguin ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica ◽  
Cell Alterations ◽  
Cytological Alterations ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIt has been demonstrated that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can affect the immune system of mammals and birds. In this study, the concentration of different POPs and leukocytes in blood samples from three chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) populations was analysed in order to assess the impact on haematological parameters. Using blood sample smears, basophils, eosinophils, heterophils, lymphocytes and monocytes were quantified. Mature and immature red blood cells were counted and cell alterations in both white and red blood cells were analysed. At the same time, whole blood was analysed for POPs. The results showed that contaminants, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (ΣDDT), as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCB), had significant correlations to eosinophils, lymphocytes and heterophils. This indicates possible immunohaematological alterations derived from exposure to such contaminants. Cytological alterations were also observed, such as cytotoxic granules, toxic heterophils, and atypical and granulated lymphocytes, which would demonstrate that these seabirds are being exposed to stress agents that could be producing some alterations at a leukocytary cellular level.

scholarly journals Correction to Legacy and Emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants in Antarctic Benthic Invertebrates near Rothera Point, Western Antarctic Peninsula

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 7023-7023
Author(s):  
Artem Krasnobaev ◽  
Guillaume ten Dam ◽  
Rita Boerrigter-Eenling ◽  
Fang Peng ◽  
Stefan P.J. van Leeuwen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Benthic Invertebrates ◽  
Western Antarctic Peninsula

Parasites of chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) from three localities in the Antarctic Peninsula and a review of their parasitic fauna

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. González-Acuña ◽  
Lucila Moreno ◽  
Michelle Wille ◽  
Bjorn Herrmann ◽  
Mike J. Kinsella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Parasitic Fauna ◽  
Pygoscelis Antarctica ◽  
The Antarctic

Stable isotope analysis of ancient and modern gentoo penguin egg membrane and the krill surplus hypothesis in Antarctica

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Emslie ◽  
Michael J. Polito ◽  
William P. Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Gentoo Penguin ◽  
Mixing Models ◽  
Pygoscelis Adeliae ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Egg Membrane ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Dietary Mixing ◽  
Rule Out

AbstractThe ‘krill surplus’ hypothesis in Antarctica posits that the historic depletion of krill-eating whales and seals in the 18–20th centuries provided a surplus of krill in the Southern Ocean that benefited penguins. A previous study which examined stable isotopes in ancient and modern tissues of Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) provides support for this hypothesis. Specifically, a significant decrease in δ13C and δ15N values occurred in modern versus ancient tissues from an apparent dietary shift from fish to krill associated with the purported krill surplus. Here, we present new data on gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) tissues from active and abandoned colonies at three locations in the Antarctic Peninsula. We found an overall, but weak, decrease in modern versus fossil δ15N and δ13C values of gentoo penguin egg membrane with considerable variation across three breeding sites. Dietary mixing models suggest that shifts between fish and krill in gentoo penguins were likely not as strong as those previously observed in Adélie penguins. This weaker signal probably results from the greater reliance on fish in their diets, past and present, though we cannot rule out declines in primary productivity or other ecosystem shifts which also could account for declines in δ13C and δ15N values.

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