Relationship between mercury levels and diet in Azores seabirds

Mercury concentrations were determined in feather and food samples from adults of 6 seabird species from the Azores archipelago. Mean concentrations ranged from 54 to 432 ng g–1 dry weight in food and 2.1 to 22.3 μg g–1 fresh weight in feather samples and were highly significantly and positively cor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 1998-01, Vol.166, p.259-265
Main Authors: Monteiro, L. R., Granadeiro, J. P., Furness, R. W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aves
Bioaccumulation
Bulweria bulwerii
Calonectris diomedea borealis
Diet
Feathers
Fish
Food
Marine
Mars
Mercury
Oceanodroma castro
Petrels
Puffinus assimilis baroli
Sea birds
Sterna hirundo
Wild birds
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Summary:Mercury concentrations were determined in feather and food samples from adults of 6 seabird species from the Azores archipelago. Mean concentrations ranged from 54 to 432 ng g–1 dry weight in food and 2.1 to 22.3 μg g–1 fresh weight in feather samples and were highly significantly and positively correlated. Significant seasonal differences in dietary mercury were also registered. Both feather and food mean concentrations were 4-fold higher in seabirds feeding on mesopelagic prey than in those feeding predominantly on epipelagic prey. Concentrations in feathers were 150× those in food, which represents the highest methylmercury biomagnification factor reported for consumers in aquatic foodchains. These findings show that the inclusion of mesopelagic prey in seabird diet has an influence on mercury accumulation over and above that from trophic status and emphasises further the value of seabird feathers as monitors of the ecological hazards of mercury in marine ecosystems.
ISSN:0171-8630
1616-1599
DOI:10.3354/meps166259