Abstract
We evaluated feathers as a non-destructive biomonitoring tool documenting organochlorine pesticides (OCP) in liver and checked possible trends in pesticide use in two areas based on OCP concentrations in barn owls (Tyto alba). We measured the concentrations of 16 OCP in 15 primary feathers and 15 livers from barn owl carcasses collected on roadsides in Tagus Valley and Évora regions, south Portugal. Total OCP mean concentration was 8 120 ng g−1 in feathers and 178 ng g−1 in livers. All compounds were detected in feathers while in livers δ-HCH, endosulfan sulphate, p,p′-DDT and p,p′-DDD were not detected. The high β-HCH and heptachlor concentrations in feathers most likely derived from external endogenous contamination. P,p′-DDE was the OCP with the highest hepatic concentration. Both matrices indicated an exposure to recently released heptachlor. The differing OCP concentrations between Tagus Valley and Évora seem to reflect differences in land-use and pesticide use histories of the two locations, and/or faster degradation of OCP in the Tagus area.
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Acknowledgements
IR was supported by a doctoral Grant No. (SFRH/ BD/72163/2010), and RL by a post-doctoral degree Grant (BPD/102870/2014) from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia—Portugal. SE was funded by the Academy of Finland (project number 265859 to Dr. Tapio Eeva). Fieldwork was partly supported by QREN/INALENTEJO 2007–2013 under the project ECOMEDBIRDS (ALENT-04-0331-FEDER000205) and by Companhia das Lezírias, S.A. through a Business & Biodiversity Protocol with the University of Évora, under the project TYTOTAGUS. Special thanks to Lara Puras and José Antonio González-Franco for their support at laboratory.
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Roque, I., Lourenço, R., Marques, A. et al. A First Record of Organochlorine Pesticides in Barn Owls (Tyto alba) from Portugal: Assessing Trends from Variation in Feather and Liver Concentrations. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 109, 436–442 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03576-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03576-6