Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal: Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volume number: 184

ISSN: 0025-326X

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114137

Publisher: Elsevier

Abstract: 
Mercury pollution is a serious global environmental issue and the characterization of its distribution and its driving forces should be urgently included in research agendas. We report unusually high mercury (Hg) concentrations (>5 μg/g) along with stable isotopes values in feathers of southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) from colonies in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. We found a highly heterogenous prevalence of Hg throughout the study area and over a three-fold higher mean Hg concentration in southernmost colonies. Variation in Hg concentrations among colonies is primarily explained by site, rather than by trophic position. We provide further support to the existence of a Hg hotspot in the food web of the Patagonian Shelf and spatially restrict it to the southern tip of South America. Our findings highlight the need for regional and colony-based seabird conservation management when high local variability and plasticity in foraging habits is evident.

Harvard Citation style: Lois, N., Balza, U., Brasso, R., Dodino, S., Pütz, K., Polito, M., et al. (2022) Mercury and stable isotopes portray colony-specific foraging grounds in southern rockhopper penguins over the Patagonian Shelf, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 184, Article 114137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114137

APA Citation style: Lois, N., Balza, U., Brasso, R., Dodino, S., Pütz, K., Polito, M., Riccialdelli, L., Ciancio, J., Quillfeldt, P., Mahler, B., & Rey, A. (2022). Mercury and stable isotopes portray colony-specific foraging grounds in southern rockhopper penguins over the Patagonian Shelf. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 184, Article 114137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114137