Abstract
Seabirds are used as bioindicators of marine ecosystems, especially for quantifying and tracking pollution sources. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contamination in feathers of young kelp gulls by lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn) on three islands of southern Brazil. The highest values for Pb (2.1310 μg g−1) and Hg (0.0010 μg g−1) were observed in Lobos. Zn was common in all samples with a median around 41.7487 μg g−1 and Cr values were below the quantification limit (0.0300 μg g−1). The Kruskal-Wallis test indicated significant differences in Pb (H = 21.84; p < 0.05) and Zn (H = 958.80; p < 0.05), but no differences were observed in Cr (H = 3.08; p < 0.05) and Hg (H = 3.0; p < 0.05). This study was important to show the impact of trace element pollutants on the seabird communities and oceans.
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