PELAGIC SEABIRDS AS BIOMONITORS OF PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC

QUADRI ADROGUÉ, A.; MIGLIORANZA, K. S. B.; COPELLO, S.; FAVERO, M.; SECO PON, J. P.

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019 vol. 149

0025-326X

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are accumulated throughtime and can exert different effect on ecosystems. POPs and Chlorpyrifos,a current use pesticide, were assessed in body feathers of males andfemales of Black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris, BBA) andCape petrels (Daption Capense, CAP) during their non-breeding seasons atthe Patagonian Shelf, Argentina. Chlorpyrifos showed the highest valuesamong all pollutants in both species (49.56-84.88 ng g-1), resulting fromcurrent agricultural practices. The pattern OCPs > PCBs > PBDEs wasobserved in both species, and CAP showed higher concentrations than BBAprobably as a consequence of higher lipid mobilization and pollutantsavailability during dispersion. Non-significant differences between sexesabout POPs levels were found; however a slight tendency was observed,females>males in CAP, and males>females in BBA. More attention andfurther studies are needed to understand seabirds´ physiology and itsrelationship with the pollutants distribution in their tissues andconsidering breeding season.