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Dechlorane Plus in eggs of two gull species (Larus michahellis and Larus audouinii) from the southwestern Mediterranean Sea

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Abstract

Dechlorane Plus (DP) and some of its possible degradation products were measured in eggs from the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) and Audouin's gull (Larus audouinii) from a protected area in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea. Statistically significant differences were found between both gull species, with yellow-legged gull eggs showing the highest average total DP concentration (209 pg/g wet weight). According to stable nitrogen and carbon isotope values, variations in DP concentrations in the gull species studied are explained by foraging behavior and diet rather than by the trophic position. Both DP stereoisomers were quantified in all the samples studied, and a slight enrichment of the anti-DP could have occurred in both species. The quantification of anti-[DP-1Cl] only in ∼58 % of yellow-legged gulls support the hypothesis of a species-dependent factor influencing the bioaccumulation and/or biotransformation of Dechlorane-related compounds. This study reports on the first measurements of Dechlorane-related compounds in biota from the North African continent, contributing to the knowledge about DP environmental fate and distribution. In the light of our results, more research on differences in species-dependent bioaccumulation and biotransformation capabilities as well as ecological effects is encouraged in future Dechlorane-related compound studies.

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Acknowledgments

Part of this research was funded by OAPN from the Spanish Ministry of Environment. We thank Reserva Nacional de Caza de las Islas Chafarinas, its director, and staff for their support during the sampling campaign. The authors also thank Inmaculada Calvillo for her technical support in the laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry, CSIC, Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Juan Muñoz-Arnanz, Jose Luis Roscales, Alba Vicente & Begoña Jiménez

  2. Department of Zoology and Physic Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, José Antonio Novais, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Alba Vicente & Jose Ignacio Aguirre

Authors
  1. Juan Muñoz-Arnanz
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  2. Jose Luis Roscales
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  3. Alba Vicente
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  4. Jose Ignacio Aguirre
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  5. Begoña Jiménez
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Correspondence to Begoña Jiménez.

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Published in the topical collection Emerging Contaminants in Biota with guest editors Yolanda Picó and Damià Barceló.

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Muñoz-Arnanz, J., Roscales, J.L., Vicente, A. et al. Dechlorane Plus in eggs of two gull species (Larus michahellis and Larus audouinii) from the southwestern Mediterranean Sea. Anal Bioanal Chem 404, 2765–2773 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-012-6326-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-012-6326-7

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