1. Trace elements and stable isotopes in penguin chicks and eggs: A baseline for monitoring the Ross Sea MPA and trophic transfer studies
- Author
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Giulio Careddu, Geraldina Signa, Edoardo Calizza, Salvatrice Vizzini, Cecilia Doriana Tramati, Loreto Rossi, Simona Sporta Caputi, Antonio Mazzola, Maria Letizia Costantini, Calizza E., Signa G., Rossi L., Vizzini S., Careddu G., Tramati C.D., Caputi S.S., Mazzola A., and Costantini M.L.
- Subjects
Settore BIO/07 - Ecologia ,Food Chain ,Zoology ,Antarctic Regions ,Aquatic Science ,Biology ,Oceanography ,Antarctica ,Aptenodytes forsteri ,contamination ,food web ,internal tissues ,Pygoscelis adeliae ,animals ,Antarctic regions ,environmental monitoring ,food chain ,isotopes ,mercury ,Spheniscidae ,trace elements ,Contamination ,Isotopes ,Animals ,Internal tissues ,Trophic level ,δ13C ,Stable isotope ratio ,Baseline (sea) ,food and beverages ,Food web ,δ15N ,Mercury ,Pollution ,Trace Elements ,Marine protected area ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
Multi-tissue trace elements (TEs), C, N concentrations and stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) of chick carcasses and eggs of Adelie and Emperor penguins were studied to i) provide reference data before the recent institution of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (Antarctica), and ii) provide conversion factors that allow estimating C, N, δ13C and δ15N in edible tissues from non-edible ones, thus improving the use of stable isotopes in contamination and trophic transfer studies. Higher concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn and Pb were found in chick carcasses than in eggs, suggesting increasing contamination in recent decades and high toxicity risks for penguin consumers. Isotopic conversion factors highlighted small differences among body tissues and conspecifics. These values suggest that chick carcasses are reliable indicators of the energy pathways underlying the two penguin species, their trophic position in the food web and their exposure to TEs.
- Published
- 2021