Feather mercury concentration in streaked shearwaters wintering in separate areas of southeast Asia

Watanuki, Yutaka; Yamashita, Ai; Ishizuka, Mayumi; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Nakayama, Shouta M.M.; Ishii, Chihiro; Yamamoto, Takashi; Ito, Motohiro; Kuwae, Tomohiro; Trathan, Philip N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6673-9930. 2016 Feather mercury concentration in streaked shearwaters wintering in separate areas of southeast Asia. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 546. 263-269. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11669

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Abstract/Summary

We measured mercury concentration ([Hg]) and nitrogen stable isotope values (δ15N) in tail feathers that were replaced during the non-breeding period of streaked shearwaters Calonectris leucomelas that bred on 3 islands in Japan. The birds’ year-round movements were tracked and their breeding status was monitored. [Hg] was greater in males than in females, and was greatest in those birds spending their non-breeding period in the South China Sea (3.1 ± 1.5 µg g-1 dry weight), moderate in birds in the Arafura Sea (1.5 ± 0.7 µg g-1), and lowest in birds in the Pacific Ocean north of New Guinea (0.8 ± 0.4 µg g-1). Adverse effects of feather [Hg] on breeding status were not observed. This regional variation in feather [Hg] might partly reflect differences in the intake of Hg between these non-breeding areas in addition to accumulation during the late breeding period and the southward migration period

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11669
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > BAS Programmes 2015 > Ecosystems
ISSN:	0171-8630
Additional Keywords:	geolocator, migration, δ15N, breeding
Date made live:	03 May 2016 10:58 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/513523

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