Kjetil Sagerup

Relationships between POPs and baseline corticosterone levels in black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) across their breeding cycle

Chronic exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in wildlife might alter the response to environmental changes through interference with the regulation of stress hormones. Here, we examined the relationship between blood concentrations of several POPs and baseline plasma corticosterone levels in the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) during three distinct periods in the breeding season. The concentrations of POPs and corticosterone increased, whereas body mass decreased progressively from the pre-laying period to the incubation and the chick rearing period. ∑PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) correlated positively with the baseline corticosterone levels during the pre-laying period, which might suggest that PCBs affect the regulation of corticosterone. However, this relationship was not found during the incubation or the chick rearing period. Possible explanations are discussed with emphasis on how total stress/allostatic load is handled during different periods and conditions.

Intraspecific Variation in Trophic Feeding Levels and Organochlorine Concentrations in Glaucous Gulls (Larus hyperboreus) from Bjørnøya, the Barents Sea

Biomagnification contributes to high concentrations of persistent organochlorines (OC) in some Arctic vertebrates. Glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) on Bjørnøya in the western Barents Sea were studied to compare the intraspecific variation in OC concentration with variation in trophic feeding levels, estimated from ratios of nitrogen isotopes. Liver tissue samples from 40 adult glaucous gulls were analysed for hexachlorobenzene (HCB), oxychlordane, p, p ′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolite p, p′-DDE, Mirex, and nine congeners of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). The ratios of the heavier to lighter isotope of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N), expressed as δ13C and δ15N, were measured in liver and muscle. Hepatic concentrations of the nine PCB congeners (∑ 9 PCB) ranged from 16 μg/g lipid weight to 292 μg/g lipid weight. The δ15N ranged from 14.0‰ to 15.3‰ in muscle. Seven of the 14 OC measured, ∑ DDT, and ∑ 9 PCB were positively correlated to δ15N from muscle tissue. No correlations were found between OC and δ13C. The present results indicate that OC concentrations are partly dependent on the foraging strategy of the gull. The r2 of the linear regressions suggests that up to 18% of the variation in the OC concentrations could be explained by variation in food preference.

A screening of liver, kidney, and thyroid gland morphology in organochlorine-contaminated glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) from Svalbard

Concentrations of organochlorine (OC) contaminants and histomorphology of liver, kidney, and thyroid tissues were studied in nine adult and one subadult glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) collected at Svalbard on 2 August 2011. Concentrations of liver polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB; range: 150–2820u2009ngu2009g−1 ww), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT; range: 58–724u2009ngu2009g−1 ww), and chlordanes (CHL; range: 11–126u2009ngu2009g−1 ww) dominated the OC profile followed by hexachlorobenzene (HCB; range: 11–42u2009ngu2009g−1 ww), mirex (range: 2–52u2009ngu2009g−1 ww), and β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH; range: 1–7u2009ngu2009g−1 ww). Histological examination of the liver showed mononuclear cell infiltrations and granulomas in 10 and 6 gulls, respectively, while intense intrahepatic lipid accumulation (steatosis) was found in two and focal necrosis in one gull. In kidney, glomerular sclerosis and adhesions was found in five and one gull, respectively. Thickening of the glomerular basement membranes and tubular necrosis was found in four and seven gulls, respectively, while mononuclear cell infiltrations were found in two individuals. In the thyroid gland, a high density of small follicles accompanied by follicular epithelial cell proliferation was observed in five glaucous gulls. Gulls with hepatic steatosis had significantly higher ΣDDT levels than the gulls without hepatic steatosis and a similar trend was found for ΣPCB. When normalizing OC concentrations for lipid content in liver, gulls with lipid granulomas had significantly lower β-HCH and significantly higher mirex levels, respectively, than gulls without lipid granulomas. Also; gulls with thickening of the glomerular basement membranes had non-significantly higher ΣPCB levels than gulls without. The histological findings were similar to those of controlled laboratory studies and OC-contaminated wildlife (e.g., polar bears; Ursus maritimus) and the data of this study therefore suggest that OC exposure may be a co-factor in the development of organ alterations in glaucous gulls. However, other environmental factors such as age, element exposure, and infectious micropathogens cannot be ruled out as co-factors, and it is uncertain if the tissue changes found exert adverse health effects on the population of Svalbard glaucous gulls.