Department of Animal Science, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Concepción, Av. Vicente Méndez 595, Chillán, Chile.
Soils & Natural Resources Department, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Av. Vicente Méndez 595, Chillán, Chile.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Jul;192:115133. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115133. Epub 2023 Jun 3.
Seabird feces as indicators of the exposure to environmental contaminants have been studied worldwide. Penguins are indicator species for marine pollution, but their role as biovectors of rare earth elements (REEs) to ecosystems have been little studied. The present study quantified the concentration of REEs and trace elements (TEs) in feces of gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua). Adult penguin excreta from Fildes Bay (King George Island) and Yelcho Base (Palmer Archipelago) were collected and then analyzed by ICP-MS. Among REEs, levels ranged from 0.0038 to 1.02 μg g d.w. for Lu and Ce, respectively. For TEs, the levels varied widely through the sample set, with Al, Fe, Sr, Zn and Ti as the highest mean levels, particularly at Fildes Bay. The data show that gentoo penguins act as a biovector organism by transporting TEs and REEs from the sea to land via excreta, reaffirming that this species acts as an important biovector organism in Antarctic ecosystems. The potential impacts of this process on Antarctic ecosystems needs further research.
海鸟粪便作为暴露于环境污染物的指示剂已在全球范围内得到研究。企鹅是海洋污染的指示物种，但它们作为稀土元素（REEs）向生态系统传播的生物载体的作用却鲜有研究。本研究量化了巴布亚企鹅（Pygoscelis papua）粪便中 REEs 和微量元素（TEs）的浓度。从菲尔德斯湾（乔治王岛）和耶尔乔基地（帕尔默群岛）收集成年企鹅的排泄物，然后通过 ICP-MS 进行分析。在 REEs 中，Lu 和 Ce 的水平分别为 0.0038 至 1.02μg g d.w.。对于 TEs，样本集中的水平差异很大，Al、Fe、Sr、Zn 和 Ti 的平均水平最高，特别是在菲尔德斯湾。数据表明，巴布亚企鹅通过排泄物将 TEs 和 REEs 从海洋输送到陆地，从而充当生物载体生物，再次证实该物种在南极生态系统中是一种重要的生物载体生物。这一过程对南极生态系统的潜在影响需要进一步研究。
