First assessment of persistent organic pollutants in the Greater rhea (Rhea americana), a near-threatened flightless herbivorous bird of the Pampas grasslands

LECHE, A.; GISMONDI A; MARTELLA, M.B.; NAVARRO,J.L.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

Lugar: HEIDELBERG; Año: 2021

0944-1344

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are still globally distributed and can exert different effects on ecosystems. Little is knownabout the occurrence of these contaminants in terrestrial birds from South America. In this study, POPs were assessed for the firsttime in a flightless herbivorous species from the Pampas grasslands, the Greater rhea (Rhea americana). Concentrations ofpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were determined in 18 samples of feathers from free-ranging and captive individuals inhabiting four sites with different land uses incentral Argentina. Among the 16 POPs tested in those feathers, 6 PCBs (28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180) and 8 OCPs (α-HCH, βHCH, γ-HCH, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDT, and HCB) were quantified. No PBDEs were detected. The totalconcentration of POPs was higher in populations living in an intensive crop production area (agriculture 159 ng g −1 and farm:97.53 ng g−1) compared with the population in an urban area (zoo 45.86 ng g−1) and an agroecosystem with extensive rearing oflivestock (cattle rearing 36.77 ng g−1). PCBs were the most abundant pollutants in all the populations studied. Lower chlorinatedCB 52 and CB 101 were the principal PCB congeners detected, representing at least 70% of the total quantified. All populationsstudied showed a DDE + DDD/DDT ratio > 1, indicating a historical application of this insecticide. This study provides a newcontribution to the scarce data on POP concentrations in South American bird species. Further investigations are needed toevaluate their potential effects on the health of individuals and populations.