Trace element concentrations in feathers and blood of Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) nestlings from Norway and Spain

Kevin J Dolan; Tomasz M Ciesielski; Syverin Lierhagen; Igor Eulaers; Torgeir Nygård; Trond V Johnsen; Pilar Gómez-Ramírez; Antonio J García-Fernández; Jan O Bustnes; Manuel E Ortiz-Santaliestra; Veerle L B Jaspers

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.06.062

Trace element concentrations in feathers and blood of Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) nestlings from Norway and Spain

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2017 Oct:144:564-571. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.06.062. Epub 2017 Jul 5.

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany; Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: dolank2@posteo.net.
² Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
³ Department of Chemistry, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
⁴ Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature research, Trondheim, Norway.
⁶ Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tromsø, Norway; High North Research Center for Climate and the Environment (FRAM), Tromsø, Norway.
⁷ Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
⁸ Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany; Spanish Institute of Game and Wildlife Research (IREC) CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain.
⁹ Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. Electronic address: veerle.jaspers@ntnu.no.

PMID: 28688358
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.06.062

Abstract

Information on trace element pollution in the terrestrial environment and its biota is limited compared to the marine environment. In the present study, we collected body feathers and blood of 37 Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) nestlings from Tromsø (northern Norway), Trondheim (central Norway), and Murcia (southeastern Spain) to study regional exposure, hypothesizing the potential health risks of metals and other trace elements. Blood and body feathers were analyzed by a high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS) for aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb). The influence of regional differences, urbanization and agricultural land usage in proximity to the nesting Northern goshawks was investigated using particular spatial analysis techniques. Most trace elements were detected below literature blood toxicity thresholds, except for elevated concentrations (mean ± SD µgml^-1 ww) found for Zn (5.4 ± 1.5), Cd (0.00023 ± 0.0002), and Hg (0.021 ± 0.01). Corresponding mean concentrations in feathers (mean ± SD µgg^-1 dw) were 82.0 ± 12.4, 0.0018 ± 0.002, and 0.26 ± 0.2 for Zn, Cd and Hg respectively. Multiple linear regressions indicated region was a significant factor influencing Al, Zn, Se and Hg feather concentrations. Blood Cd and Hg concentrations were significantly influenced by agricultural land cover. Urbanization did not have a significant impact on trace element concentrations in either blood or feathers. Overall metal and trace element levels do not indicate a high risk for toxic effects in the nestlings. Levels of Cd in Tromsø and Hg in Trondheim were however above sub-lethal toxic threshold levels. For holistic risk assessment purposes it is important that the concentrations found in the nestlings of this study indicate that terrestrial raptors are exposed to various trace elements.

Keywords: Agriculture; Biomonitoring; Bird of prey; Blood; Feathers; GIS; Metal pollution; Terrestrial; Urbanization.

MeSH terms

Animals
Arsenic / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Environmental Pollutants / analysis*
Environmental Pollutants / blood
Falconiformes / blood*
Feathers / chemistry*
Linear Models
Metals, Heavy / analysis*
Metals, Heavy / blood
Norway
Selenium / analysis
Spain
Trace Elements / analysis*
Trace Elements / blood

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Metals, Heavy
Trace Elements
Selenium
Arsenic