TY - JOUR
T1 - Spatial distribution of selenium-mercury in Arctic seabirds
AU - Cruz-Flores, Marta
AU - Lemaire, Jeremy
AU - Brault-Favrou, Maud
AU - Christensen-Dalsgaard, Signe
AU - Churlaud, Carine
AU - Descamps, Sebastien
AU - Elliott, Kyle
AU - Erikstad, Kjell Einar
AU - Ezhov, Alexey
AU - Gavrilo, Maria
AU - Gremillet, David
AU - Guillou, Gael
AU - Hatch, Scott
AU - Huffeldt, Nicholas
AU - Kitaysky, Alexander S
AU - Kolbeinsson, Yann
AU - Krasnov, Yuri
AU - Langset, Magdalene
AU - Leclaire, Sarah
AU - Linnebjerg, Jannie F
AU - Lorentzen, Erlend
AU - Mallory, Mark L
AU - Merkel, Flemming R
AU - Montevecchi, William
AU - Mosbech, Anders
AU - Patterson, Allison
AU - Perret, Samuel
AU - Provencher, Jennifer F
AU - Reiertsen, Tone K
AU - Renner, Heather
AU - Strøm, Hallvard
AU - Takahashi, Akinori
AU - Thiebot, Jean-Baptiste
AU - Thorarinsson, Thorkell Lindberg
AU - Will, Alexis
AU - Bustamante, Paco
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Mercury (Hg) is a metallic trace element toxic for humans and wildlife that can originate from natural and anthropic sources. Hg spatial gradients have been found in seabirds from the Arctic and other oceans, suggesting contrasting toxicity risks across regions. Selenium (Se) plays a protective role against Hg toxicity, but its spatial distribution has been much less investigated than that of Hg. From 2015 to 2017, we measured spatial co-exposure of Hg and Se in blood samples of two seabird species, the Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia) and the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) from 17 colonies in the Arctic and subarctic regions, and we calculated their molar ratios (Se:Hg), as a measure of Hg sequestration by Se and, therefore, of Hg exposure risk. We also evaluated concentration differences between species and ocean basins (Pacific-Arctic and Atlantic-Arctic), and examined the influence of trophic ecology on Hg and Se concentrations using nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes. In the Atlantic-Arctic ocean, we found a negative west-to-east gradient of Hg and Se for guillemots, and a positive west-to-east gradient of Se for kittiwakes, suggesting that these species are better protected from Hg toxicity in the European Arctic. Differences in Se gradients between species suggest that they do not follow environmental Se spatial variations. This, together with the absence of a general pattern for isotopes influence on trace element concentrations, could be due to foraging ecology differences between species. In both oceans, the two species showed similar Hg concentrations, but guillemots showed lower Se concentrations and Se:Hg than kittiwakes, suggesting a higher Hg toxicity risk in guillemots. Within species, neither Hg, nor Se or Se:Hg differed between both oceans. Our study highlights the importance of considering Se together with Hg, along with different species and regions, when evaluating Hg toxic effects on marine predators in international monitoring programs.
AB - Mercury (Hg) is a metallic trace element toxic for humans and wildlife that can originate from natural and anthropic sources. Hg spatial gradients have been found in seabirds from the Arctic and other oceans, suggesting contrasting toxicity risks across regions. Selenium (Se) plays a protective role against Hg toxicity, but its spatial distribution has been much less investigated than that of Hg. From 2015 to 2017, we measured spatial co-exposure of Hg and Se in blood samples of two seabird species, the Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia) and the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) from 17 colonies in the Arctic and subarctic regions, and we calculated their molar ratios (Se:Hg), as a measure of Hg sequestration by Se and, therefore, of Hg exposure risk. We also evaluated concentration differences between species and ocean basins (Pacific-Arctic and Atlantic-Arctic), and examined the influence of trophic ecology on Hg and Se concentrations using nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes. In the Atlantic-Arctic ocean, we found a negative west-to-east gradient of Hg and Se for guillemots, and a positive west-to-east gradient of Se for kittiwakes, suggesting that these species are better protected from Hg toxicity in the European Arctic. Differences in Se gradients between species suggest that they do not follow environmental Se spatial variations. This, together with the absence of a general pattern for isotopes influence on trace element concentrations, could be due to foraging ecology differences between species. In both oceans, the two species showed similar Hg concentrations, but guillemots showed lower Se concentrations and Se:Hg than kittiwakes, suggesting a higher Hg toxicity risk in guillemots. Within species, neither Hg, nor Se or Se:Hg differed between both oceans. Our study highlights the importance of considering Se together with Hg, along with different species and regions, when evaluating Hg toxic effects on marine predators in international monitoring programs.
KW - Atlantic-Arctic
KW - Black-legged kittiwake
KW - Blood
KW - Brünnich's guillemot
KW - Pacific-Arctic
KW - Stable isotopes
KW - Thick-billed murre
KW - Toxics
KW - Environmental Monitoring
KW - Humans
KW - Mercury/analysis
KW - Carbon Isotopes
KW - Charadriiformes
KW - Trace Elements
KW - Animals
KW - Arctic Regions
KW - Selenium
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85180368681&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123110
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123110
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38086506
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 343
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
M1 - 123110
ER -