CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The use of bird feathers to assess environmental contamination has steadily increased in ecotoxicologicalmonitoring programs over the past decade. The Olrog?s Gull (Larus atlanticus) is a species endemic to theAtlantic coast of southern South America, constituting one of the three threatened gull species listed inthe entire American continent. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure to Persistent OrganicPollutants (POPs) and chlorpyrifos in the Near Threatened Olrog?s Gull through the analysis of bodyfeathers sampled at the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon, the main wintering area of the species in Argentina,controlling for sex and age class. Chlorpyrifos showed the highest concentrations among all contaminantsand groups of individuals (X ¼ 263 ng g 1), while among POPs the concentration of organochlorinepesticides was higher than polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, likely indicatingthe current use of these agricultural contaminant in the region. The highest values of total POPconcentrations (males X ¼ 280 ng g 1, females X ¼ 301 ng g 1) were found in juvenile gulls, likely as aconsequence of the incorporation of pollutants during the breeding season. Subadult and adult birdsshowed difference between sexes in the concentration of contaminants, with higher levels in males thanfemales. The results highlight the need to include birds of different sex and age classes in order to betterunderstand the variation in pollutants loads. The present study provides relevant information to improvethe conservation status of the Olrog?s Gull and new insights about the environmental health of the MarChiquita coastal lagoon, Argentina, a MAB-UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. However, there is acontinued need for long-term monitoring programs focusing on this threatened species to understandthe effects of pollutants on its population.

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