Environmental and life-history factors influence inter-colony multidimensional niche metrics of a breeding Arctic marine bird.
| Title: | Environmental and life-history factors influence inter-colony multidimensional niche metrics of a breeding Arctic marine bird. |
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| Authors: | Smith RA; University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada. Electronic address: smith1ax@uwindsor.ca.; Yurkowski DJ; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N6, Canada.; Parkinson KJL; University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada.; Fort J; Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle University, La Rochelle FR-17000, France.; Hennin HL; Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1H0, Canada.; Gilchrist HG; Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1H0, Canada.; Hobson KA; Western University, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada.; Mallory ML; cadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada.; Danielsen J; Faroe Marine Research Institute, Tórshavn FO-110, Faroe Islands.; Garbus SE; Aarhus University, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark.; Hanssen SA; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tromsø N-9296, Norway.; Jónsson JE; University of Iceland's Research Centre at Snæfellsnes, Hafnargata 3, 340 Stykkishólmur, Iceland.; Latty CJ; Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks, AK 99701, United States.; Magnúsdóttir E; University of Iceland's Research Centre at Snæfellsnes, Hafnargata 3, 340 Stykkishólmur, Iceland.; Moe B; Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tromsø N-9296, Norway.; Parsons GJ; Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 4E5, Canada.; Sonne C; Aarhus University, Roskilde DK-4000, Denmark.; Tertitski G; Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119017, Russia.; Love OP; University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada. |
| Source: | The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2021 Nov 20; Vol. 796, pp. 148935. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jul 11. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0330500 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-1026 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00489697 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Total Environ Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Amsterdam, Elsevier. |
| MeSH Terms: | Mercury*/analysis; Animals ; Arctic Regions ; Birds ; Breeding ; Environmental Monitoring ; Food Chain ; Humans |
| Abstract: | Human industrialization has resulted in rapid climate change, leading to wide-scale environmental shifts. These shifts can modify food web dynamics by altering the abundance and distribution of primary producers (ice algae and phytoplankton), as well as animals at higher trophic levels. Methylmercury (MeHg) is a neuro-endocrine disrupting compound which biomagnifies in animals as a function of prey choice, and as such bioavailability is affected by altered food web dynamics and adds an important risk-based dimension in studies of foraging ecology. Multidimensional niche dynamics (MDND; δ13C, δ15N, THg; total mercury) were determined among breeding common eider (Somateria mollissima) ducks sampled from 10 breeding colonies distributed across the circumpolar Arctic and subarctic. Results showed high variation in MDND among colonies as indicated by niche size and ranges in δ13C, δ15N and THg values in relation to spatial differences in primary production inferred from sea-ice presence and colony migratory status. Colonies with higher sea-ice cover during the pre-incubation period had higher median colony THg, δ15N, and δ13C. Individuals at migratory colonies had relatively higher THg and δ15N, and lower δ13C, suggesting a higher trophic position and a greater reliance on phytoplankton-based prey. It was concluded that variation in MDND exists among eider colonies which influenced individual blood THg concentrations. Further exploration of spatial ecotoxicology and MDND at each individual site is important to examine the relationships between anthropogenic activities, foraging behaviour, and the related risks of contaminant exposure at even low, sub-lethal concentrations that may contribute to deleterious effects on population stability over time. Overall, multidimensional niche analysis that incorporates multiple isotopic and contaminant metrics could help identify those populations at risk to rapidly altered food web dynamics.; (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Comments: | Erratum in: Sci Total Environ. 2022 Feb 1;806(Pt 2):150582. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150582.. (PMID: 34600212) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Carbon-13; Climate change; Common eider; Nitrogen-15; Stable isotopes; THg |
| Substance Nomenclature: | FXS1BY2PGL (Mercury) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20210718 Date Completed: 20210915 Latest Revision: 20251218 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148935 |
| PMID: | 34274678 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article