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. 2021 Sep 21;18(18):9918.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189918.

Mercury Levels in Feathers of Penguins from the Antarctic Peninsula Area: Geographical and Inter-Specific Differences

Miguel Motas  1 , Silvia Jerez  1 , Marta Esteban  2 , Francisco Valera  3 , José Javier Cuervo  3   4 , Andrés Barbosa  3   4
Affiliations

Mercury Levels in Feathers of Penguins from the Antarctic Peninsula Area: Geographical and Inter-Specific Differences

Miguel Motas et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Polar regions, symbols of wilderness, have been identified as potential sinks of mercury coming from natural and anthropogenic sources at lower latitudes. Changes in ice coverage currently occurring in some areas such as the Antarctic Peninsula could enhance these phenomena and their impacts on local biota. As long-lived species at the top of food chains, seabirds are particularly sensitive to this highly toxic metal with the capacity to be biomagnified. Specifically, their feathers can be useful for Hg monitoring since they mainly accumulate its most toxic and persistent form, methyl-Hg. To that end, feathers of gentoo (Pygoscelis papua), chinstrap (P. antarcticus), and Adélie penguins (P. adeliae) (n = 108) were collected by passive sampling in seven different locations throughout the Antarctic Peninsula area and analyzed by ICP-MS after microwave-digestion. More than 93% of the samples showed detectable Hg levels (range: 6.3-12,529.8 ng g-1 dry weight), and the highest ones were found in the feathers of chinstrap penguins from King George Island. Hg bioconcentration and biomagnification seem to be occurring in the Antarctic food web, giving rise to high but non-toxic Hg levels in penguins, similar to those previously found in Arctic seabirds.

Keywords: Antarctic Peninsula; biomonitoring; feathers; mercury; penguins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean (±SE) Hg concentration in feathers of gentoo penguins (P. papua) in four locations of the Antarctic Peninsula area. For sample sizes, see Table 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean (±SE) Hg concentration in feathers of chinstrap penguins (P. antarcticus) in four locations of the Antarctic Peninsula area. For sample sizes, see Table 1. DL: detection limit.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean (±SE) Hg concentration in feathers of Adélie penguins (P. adeliae) in three locations of the Antarctic Peninsula area. For sample sizes, see Table 1.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mean (±SE) Hg concentration in feathers of the three studied species from the islands of (A) King George, (B) Livingston, and (D) Ronge. For sample sizes, see Table 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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