Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry, CSIC (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio) and Department of Animal Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Av Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Environ Res. 2016 Jul;148:285-294. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2016.04.005. Epub 2016 Apr 16.
Studies on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Antarctic wildlife are scarce, and usually limited to a single locality. As a result, wildlife exposure to POPs across the Southern Ocean is poorly understood. In this study, we report the differential exposure of the major southern ocean scavengers, the giant petrels, to POPs across a wide latitudinal gradient. Selected POPs (PCBs, HCB, DDTs, PBDEs) and related compounds, such as Dechlorane Plus (DP), were analyzed in plasma of southern giant petrels (Macronectes giganteus) breeding on Livingston (62°S 61°W, Antarctica), Marion (46°S 37°E, sub-Antarctic), and Gough (40°S 10°W, cool temperate) islands. Northern giant petrels (Macronectes halli) from Marion Island were also studied. Stable isotope ratios of C and N (δ(13)C and δ(15)N) were used as dietary tracers of the marine habitat and trophic level, respectively. Breeding locality was a major factor explaining petrel exposure to POPs compared with species and sex. Significant relationships between δ(13)C values and POP burdens, at both inter- and intra-population levels, support latitudinal variations in feeding grounds as a key factor in explaining petrel pollutant burdens. Overall, pollutant levels in giant petrels decreased significantly with latitude, but the relative abundance (%) of the more volatile POPs increased towards Antarctica. DP was found at negligible levels compared with legacy POPs in Antarctic seabirds. Spatial POP patterns found in giant petrels match those predicted by global distribution models, and reinforce the hypothesis of atmospheric long-range transport as the main source of POPs in Antarctica. Our results confirm that wildlife movements out of the polar region markedly increase their exposure to POPs. Therefore, strategies for Antarctic wildlife conservation should consider spatial heterogeneity in exposure to marine pollution. Of particular relevance is the need to clarify the exposure of Antarctic predators to emerging contaminants that are not yet globally regulated.
南极野生动物中持久性有机污染物（POPs）的研究很少，通常仅限于单一地点。因此，人们对南大洋野生动物接触 POPs 的情况了解甚少。在这项研究中，我们报告了在广泛的纬度梯度上，主要的南大洋清道夫——巨型海燕对 POPs 的不同暴露程度。在生活在利文斯顿岛（62°S 61°W，南极洲）、马里恩岛（46°S 37°E，亚南极）和高夫岛（40°S 10°W，凉爽温带）的繁殖的南方巨型海燕的血浆中分析了选定的 POPs（多氯联苯、六氯环己烷、滴滴涕、PBDE）和相关化合物，如氯丹替代品（DP）。还研究了来自马里恩岛的北方巨型海燕。碳和氮的稳定同位素比值（δ（13）C 和 δ（15）N）分别用作海洋生境和营养水平的饮食示踪剂。与物种和性别相比，繁殖地是解释海燕接触 POPs 的主要因素。在种群内和种群间水平上，δ（13）C 值与 POP 负荷之间的显著关系支持了觅食地的纬度变化是解释海燕污染物负荷的关键因素。总的来说，巨型海燕中的污染物水平随着纬度的降低而显著降低，但在南极洲海鸟中，更易挥发的 POP 的相对丰度（%）向南极洲增加。与南极海鸟中的传统 POP 相比，DP 的含量可忽略不计。在巨型海燕中发现的空间 POP 模式与全球分布模型预测的模式相匹配，并强化了大气长距离传输作为南极洲 POP 主要来源的假设。我们的研究结果证实，野生动物离开极地地区的迁移大大增加了它们接触 POPs 的机会。因此，南极野生动物保护策略应考虑到海洋污染暴露的空间异质性。特别需要澄清的是，需要澄清南极捕食者接触尚未在全球范围内受到监管的新兴污染物的情况。
