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dc.contributor.authorLeat, Eliza Helen Kelsey
dc.contributor.authorBourgeon, Sophie
dc.contributor.authorHanssen, Sveinn Are
dc.contributor.authorPetersen, Ævar
dc.contributor.authorStrøm, Hallvard
dc.contributor.authorBjørn, Tor Harry
dc.contributor.authorGabrielsen, Geir W.
dc.contributor.authorBustnes, Jan Ove
dc.contributor.authorFurness, Robert W.
dc.contributor.authorHaarr, Ane
dc.contributor.authorBorgå, Katrine
dc.date.accessioned2020-02-03T11:14:47Z
dc.date.available2020-02-03T11:14:47Z
dc.date.issued2018-10-08
dc.description.abstractHigh levels of halogenated organic contaminants (HOCs) have been found in the marine predatory seabird great skua (<i>Stercorarius skua</i>) from breeding colonies in the Northeastern Atlantic, with large unexplained inter-colony variation. The present study aimed at analyzing if the HOCs occurrence in breeding great skuas in remote colonies was explained by local baseline food web exposure determined by long-range transport, or by ecological factors such as diet specialization and relative trophic position in the breeding area. The occurrence of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) was analyzed in plasma of 204 adult great skuas collected over two years (2008 and 2009) and 5 colonies across the North-Atlantic from Shetland to Svalbard. The ΣHOCs levels in plasma ranged across two orders of magnitude, from 40 to 7600 ng/g (wet weight) and differed significantly across the great skua colonies. The variation in contaminant occurrence among colonies did not reflect long-range transport through a latitudinal or remoteness gradient, as the second northernmost colony (Bjørnøya), had the highest contaminant concentrations. No latitudinal or remoteness gradient was evident in the contaminant pattern among the colonies. The contaminant levels increased significantly with increasing δ<sup>15</sup>N values, and regurgitated pellets of undigested prey suggested that great skuas with higher δ<sup>15</sup>N values had a higher proportion of bird prey in their diet, mostly seabirds. In contrast, great skuas from colonies with lower δ<sup>15</sup>N and lower contaminant level fed mostly on fish. The enrichment of δ<sup>13</sup>C increased with decreasing δ<sup>15</sup>N and lower contaminant levels. Therefore, individual behavior of great skuas, such as migration strategies and diet specialization, rather than long-range transport and thus baseline food web exposure, explain among and within colony variance in contaminant occurrence.en_US
dc.descriptionAccepted manuscript version, licensed <a href=http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/> CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. </a>en_US
dc.identifier.citationLeat, Bourgeon S, Hanssen SA, Petersen Æ, Strøm H, Bjørn TH, Gabrielsen GW, Bustnes JO, Furness RW, Haarr A, Borgå K. The effect of long-range transport, trophic position and diet specialization on legacy contaminant occurrence in great skuas, Stercorarius skua, breeding across the Northeast Atlantic. Environmental Pollution (1987). 2019;244:55-65en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 1621042
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.envpol.2018.10.005
dc.identifier.issn0269-7491
dc.identifier.issn1873-6424
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/17302
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherElsevieren_US
dc.relation.journalEnvironmental Pollution (1987)
dc.relation.projectIDNorges forskningsråd: 184830en_US
dc.relation.projectIDinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/RCN/HAVKYST/184830/Norway/Factors of importance for bioaccumulation and effects of new and old POPs in a seabird top predator, the great skua//en_US
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holder©2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400en_US
dc.titleThe effect of long-range transport, trophic position and diet specialization on legacy contaminant occurrence in great skuas, Stercorarius skua, breeding across the Northeast Atlanticen_US
dc.type.versionacceptedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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