Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in common kestrel eggs from the Canary Islands: Spatiotemporal variations and effects on eggshell and reproduction

Abstract

Organochlorine (OC) pesticides were widely used on the Canary Islands (Spain) for intensive crop production and against plagues of African locust. A previous study performed in 1988–1994 showed a high concentration of p,p’-DDE in the eggs of common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) from the island of Tenerife. The present study shows OC pesticide and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) levels in 40 unhatched common kestrel eggs collected from southern Tenerife between 2009 and 2016. The protoporphyrin IX in eggshells has also been analysed in order to explore the use of this pigment as a biomarker. Egg biometry, status of embryo development, eggshell thickness and mass of extractable lipids of each egg were recorded. Surrounding land use and reproductive parameters (hatching and fledging rates) were obtained for each nest. The most abundant compound was p,p’-DDE (15.0 μg/g d.w), followed by PCBs (0.46 μg/g d.w.). The decline in p,p’-DDE levels in southern Tenerife (with 23.6 μg/g d.w. in 1988–1994) was 36.4%. p,p’-DDE levels were positively associated with the surface of active and abandoned cropland in a 200 m-radius around the nest and with proximity to urban areas. PCB levels were associated with proximity to roads. Shell thickness was negatively affected by the p,p’-DDE concentration. The concentration of protoporphyrin IX in the eggshell was negatively associated with the concentration of hexachlorobenzene in the egg content. Despite the total ban on the use of p,p’-DDT in Spain since 1986, p,p’-DDE levels remain elevated in those areas in which that use was formerly intensive.