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Age-related accumulation of persistent organic chemicals in captive king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
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Persistent organic chemicals including PCBs, DDE, and UV stabilizers were measured in captive king penguin serum and found to accumulate with age, demonstrating age-related bioaccumulation of these non-biodegradable compounds even in zoo-housed animals not exposed to wild marine environments.
Persistent organic chemicals are non-biodegradable in nature and have a tendency to bioaccumulate in the top organisms of the food chain. We measured persistent organic chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and benzotriazole-based ultraviolet stabilizers (UV-BTs), in the serum of captive king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) using gas chromatography with an electron capture detector and mass spectrometry to examine their age-related accumulation. PCBs, DDE, UV-PS, and UV-9 were detected in the blood of captive king penguins, and the concentrations of total PCBs, DDE, and UV-9 were positively correlated with age. These results suggest that there is a similar age-related accumulation of persistent organic chemicals in marine birds in the wild, and that older individuals are at a higher risk of contamination.
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Researchers detected microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in subantarctic seabirds from remote breeding sites, finding contamination despite geographic isolation from direct pollution sources. The results confirm that oceanic and atmospheric transport pathways carry contaminants to even the most protected seabird habitats.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.