Assessment of Trace Metal Concentrations in Feathers of White-chinned Petrels, Procellaria Aequinoctialis, from the Patagonian Shelf

Juan Pablo Seco Pon,Ornela Beltrame,Jorge Marcovecchio,Patricia Gandini,Marco Favero

doi:10.5539/ep.v1n1p29

Abstract

Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn were measured in feathers from male and female White-chinned petrels Procelllaria aequinoctialis accidentally killed in longliners off Argentina in 2005. Cd, Pb, and Ni concentrations in adult feathers were below detection limits regardless of the birds' sex. Metal concentrations did not vary with sex for Cu, Fe and Zn in feathers of adult birds despite significant differences in body size between males and females. The Cu and Fe concentrations differed significantly between the type of feather within individual birds. The mean concentrations of metals determined here were within the range of concentrations reported in feather tissues of other related Procellariiformes species from different biogeographic areas. However, the concentrations of Cr were similar to those reported for other petrels from polluted areas of the North Pacific. Thus, it appears likely that levels of pollution in Patagonia may not be as negligible as previously thought for some trace metals.

Highlights

White-chinned petrels, Procellaria aequinoctialis, (WCP) are among the largest of all-dark petrels, only smaller than giant petrels (Onley & Scofield, 2007)
The majority of Georgias del Sur/South Georgia WCPs exploit waters of the Patagonian Shelf during the non-breeding, pre-laying exodus and incubation periods, and to a lesser extent during chick-rearing when they mainly forage over Georgias del Sur/South Georgia shelf and shelf-slope, around Orcadas del Sur/South Orkney (Berrow et al, 2000; Phillips et al, 2006), and occasionally in the Patagonian Shelf (Mackley et al, 2011)
Concentrations of Cd and Ni were below the limits of detection (LOD) and concentrations of Cr and Pb were under the LOD in more than 40 % of samples

Summary

Introduction

White-chinned petrels, Procellaria aequinoctialis, (WCP) are among the largest of all-dark petrels, only smaller than giant petrels (Onley & Scofield, 2007). White-chinned petrels breed in dense colonies on a number of widely spaced sub-Antarctic islands (Brooke, 2004). Georgias del Sur/South Georgia has long been considered to hold the largest breeding population of WCPs in the world, with an estimated two million pairs (Prince & Croxall, 1993). A recent survey of the whole archipelago indicates that the size of its breeding population is currently some 40-45 % of the former estimate (Martin et al, 2009). The majority of Georgias del Sur/South Georgia WCPs exploit waters of the Patagonian Shelf during the non-breeding, pre-laying exodus and incubation periods, and to a lesser extent during chick-rearing when they mainly forage over Georgias del Sur/South Georgia shelf and shelf-slope, around Orcadas del Sur/South Orkney (Berrow et al, 2000; Phillips et al, 2006), and occasionally in the Patagonian Shelf (Mackley et al, 2011)

Methods

Results

Conclusion