Pelagic and estuarine birds as sentinels of metal(loid)s in the South Atlantic Ocean: Ecological niches as main factors acting on bioaccumulation

Abstract

Activities related to the offshore exploration and production of oil and natural gas provide economic development and an essential energy source. However, besides the risk of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination, these activities can also be sources of metals and metalloids for marine organism contamination. In this research, we evaluated the potential use of two pelagic (black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris and yellow-nosed albatross T. chlororhynchos) and one estuarine bird species (neotropical cormorant Nannopterum brasilianus) as sentinels of contamination of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Mo, Zn, Ni, Ba, V, and Hg in an area under influence of oil and gas activities. The analyses were carried out in samples collected from 2015 to 2022 from 97 individuals. A factor alert; an adaptation from the contamination factor is proposed to identify individuals with high concentrations that possibly suffered contamination by anthropogenic origin. Grouping all species, the metal(loid)s with the highest concentrations were in decreasing order: Zn > Cu > Mn > Hg > As > Cd > Mo > V > Cr > Ba > Ni > Pb. Similar concentrations were observed for V, Mn, Cr and Pb among the three species. Pelagic birds showed higher levels of concentrations for Hg, As and Cd. Based on the correlations and multivariate analysis performed, the results indicate that the ecological niche factor has greater relevance in the bioaccumulation of these elements compared to the habitat. Although some individuals showed high concentrations in part of the trace elements, suggesting exposure to anthropic sources, the direct influence of oil production and exploration activities was not observed, suggesting that activities on the continent are the primary contamination source. The results of this work highlight the role of seabirds as sentinels for metal(loid)s, contributing to the knowledge of the occurrence of contaminants in the South Atlantic Ocean.