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The influence of migration patterns on exposure to contaminants in Nearctic shorebirds: a historical study

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Abstract

Since the 1970s, many populations of shorebirds, including those breeding in the Arctic region, have been declining. One factor that may contribute to some of these declines is exposure to contaminants throughout the annual cycle. Here, we compared contaminant exposure (organochlorines, toxic trace elements) of four Arctic-breeding shorebirds (semipalmated plover Charadrius semipalmatus, semipalmated sandpiper Calidris pusilla, lesser yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, and short-billed dowitcher Limnodromus griseus), collected during breeding, migration, and wintering to examine how and when contaminants might pose a threat to these species. In general, plovers and dowitchers had higher levels of most organochlorine pesticides, and renal cadmium (Cd) and selenium (Se) than the other species. Although we found seasonal differences, no clear patterns in contaminant concentrations among sampling locations were detected but the concentrations found at the breeding grounds were always the highest for chlorinated pesticides and mercury (Hg). Our results suggest that birds migrating south are slowly depurating contaminant burdens, and that spring-migrating birds were exposed to primarily North American rather than Latin American contaminant sources at the time of sampling. We present these data collected in the 1990s to better interpret current-day trends, and potential contaminant exposure impacts on shorebird populations.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Andy Didyk (University of New Brunswick, Fredericton) for collecting the samples in Churchill, the Bay of Fundy, Venezuela, and Delaware Bay, and Raymond McNeil (University of Montreal, Montreal) for facilitating the Venezuelan collections. We also thank Michael Kassera and Laboratory Services staff at NWRC for preparation of the tissues, Ewa Neugebauer for the metal analyses, Henry Won for the organochlorine analyses, and Guy Morrison for help with aging and sexing some of the birds.

Funding

Financial support was provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Funding for the project was provided by the Canadian Wildlife Service, and Andy Didyk received funding support to collect samples through an NSERC scholarship, the Northern Scientific Training Program (Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Canada), the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, and NSERC Operating Grant 2315.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Place Vincent Massey, 351 St. Joseph Blvd, Hull, Quebec, K1A 0H3, Canada

    Isabeau Pratte & Jennifer F. Provencher

  2. British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU, UK

    David G. Noble

  3. Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Drive, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, B4P 2R6, Canada

    Mark L. Mallory

  4. Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Raven Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H3, Canada

    Birgit M. Braune

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  3. Mark L. Mallory
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  4. Birgit M. Braune
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  5. Jennifer F. Provencher
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Correspondence to Isabeau Pratte.

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Appendix

Appendix

Table 4 Concentrations (μg g−1 lipid wt) of major organochlorine contaminants in carcasses of four migrant shorebird species at different stages of their migratory cycle
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Table 5 Concentrations of metals (μg g−1 dry wt) in shorebird tissues at different stages of their migratory cycle
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Pratte, I., Noble, D.G., Mallory, M.L. et al. The influence of migration patterns on exposure to contaminants in Nearctic shorebirds: a historical study. Environ Monit Assess 192, 256 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8218-1

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