Elevated mercury concentrations in the feathers of grey-faced petrels (Pterodroma gouldi) in New Zealand

Our objective was to measure the concentrations of Hg, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Sb, V and Zn in the body feathers of grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi), fluttering shearwater (Puffinus gavia), little shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) and common diving petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix) from breeding co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 119; no. 1; pp. 195 - 203
Main Authors:	Lyver, P.O'.B., Aldridge, S.P., Gormley, A.M., Gaw, S., Webb, S., Buxton, R.T., Jones, C.J.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England Elsevier Ltd 15-06-2017
Subjects:	Animals Birds Common diving petrel contaminants Feathers - chemistry Fluttering shearwater Little shearwater Mercury - analysis New Zealand Trace elements New Zealand Common diving petrel contaminants Fluttering shearwater Little shearwater Trace elements
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Summary:	Our objective was to measure the concentrations of Hg, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Sb, V and Zn in the body feathers of grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma gouldi), fluttering shearwater (Puffinus gavia), little shearwater (Puffinus assimilis) and common diving petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix) from breeding colonies in New Zealand between 2006 and 2013. The mean Hg concentration (36.48ppm; SD=9.59) in grey-faced petrel feathers was approximately 8.5 to 14 times that detected in the other three species sampled. We detected no trend or differences in Hg concentrations in grey-faced petrels over the 8years of this study, but Hg concentrations varied between breeding colonies although there was no strong relationship with latitude. The elevated Hg concentrations detected in grey-faced petrels could pose a risk to the breeding performance of grey-faced petrels and the customary harvest of chicks by Māori (New Zealand's indigenous peoples). •Cu, Hg and Zn were the only trace elements above the detection limits in the body feathers of our four study species.•Mean Hg concentration in grey-faced petrel feathers approximately 8.5 to 14 times higher than other three species sampled.•Hg concentration in grey-faced petrel feathers varied between breeding colonies.•Elevated Hg concentrations detected in grey-faced petrels could potentially affect their breeding performance.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0025-326X 1879-3363
DOI:	10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.03.055