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Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) as a bioindicator of trace element pollution in Tunisian aquatic ecosystems

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Abstract

The Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, has breeding colonies in the island of Chikly (in the lake of Tunis) and in Thyna saltpans (in the gulf of Gabès), two important Tunisian wetlands that are strongly affected by anthropogenic activity. Here, we used E. garzetta chick feathers for environmental monitoring of breeding grounds of this species. Since trophic ecology is fundamental when interpreting contamination levels, our approach combined both trace-element (Hg, Pb, Cd, and Se) and stable-isotope analysis of δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S. Hg, Se, and δ15N levels were higher in specimens collected on Chikly than in Thyna. These observations highlight the degree of eutrophication of the lake of Tunis. Yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) breeding in the same areas also feeds in the lake and attains similar concentrations of Hg and Se. In Thyna, egrets and gulls exploit distinct foraging habitats, as demonstrated by stable isotope analysis. The highest Hg and Se concentrations were found in Thyna. This result is consistent with greater exploitation of marine resources from the gulf of Gabès.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department Biologia Animal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Aida Abdennadher, Francisco Ramírez, Xavier Ruiz & Carolina Sanpera

  2. Department Salut Pública, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Casanova 143, 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Lluis Jover

  3. Department Des Ressources Animales, Halieutiques et Technologies Agro-Alimentaires, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, 43, Avenue Charles Nicolle, 1082, Tunis-Mahrajène, Tunisia

    Aida Abdennadher & Mohamed Salah Romdhane

Authors
  1. Aida Abdennadher
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  2. Francisco Ramírez
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  3. Mohamed Salah Romdhane
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  4. Xavier Ruiz
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  5. Lluis Jover
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  6. Carolina Sanpera
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Correspondence to Aida Abdennadher.

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Xavier Ruiz died on April 27, 2008.

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Abdennadher, A., Ramírez, F., Romdhane, M.S. et al. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) as a bioindicator of trace element pollution in Tunisian aquatic ecosystems. Environ Monit Assess 175, 677–684 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1560-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1560-y

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