PMID- 38123115
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20240214
LR  - 20240214
IS  - 1873-6424 (Electronic)
IS  - 0269-7491 (Linking)
VI  - 343
DP  - 2024 Feb 15
TI  - Levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the role of anthropic 
      subsidies in the diet of avian scavengers tracked by stable isotopes.
PG  - 123188
LID - S0269-7491(23)02190-5 [pii]
LID - 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123188 [doi]
AB  - Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) have been identified as a significant factor 
      driving declines in wildlife populations. These contaminants exhibit a dual 
      tendency to biomagnify up the food chains and persist within tissues, rendering 
      long-lived vertebrates, such as raptors, highly vulnerable to their adverse 
      effects. We assessed the concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 
      organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in fledglings of two vulture species, the 
      Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), 
      coexisting in northern Spain. Vultures, currently facing a severe threat with a 
      population decline exceeding 90%, represent one of the most critically endangered 
      avian groups in the Old World. Despite this critical situation, there remains a 
      scarcity of research examining the intricate relationship between contaminant 
      levels and individual foraging behaviors. In parallel, we analyzed stable isotope 
      levels (delta(15)N and delta(13)C) in fledgling's feathers and prey hair to determine the 
      association between individual dietary and contaminant burdens. Our findings 
      revealed higher levels of PCBs in Egyptian vultures, while pesticide 
      concentrations remained very similar between focal species. Furthermore, higher 
      individual values of delta(13)C, indicating a diet based on intensive farming 
      carcasses and landfills, were associated with higher levels of PCBs. While the 
      levels of POPs found do not raise immediate alarm, the presence of individuals 
      with unusually high values reveals the existence of accessible contamination 
      sources in the environment for avian scavengers. The increasing reliance of these 
      birds on intensive livestock farming and landfills, due to the decline of 
      extensive livestock farming, necessitates long-term monitoring of potential 
      contaminant effects on their populations.
CI  - Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
FAU - Munoz-Arnanz, J
AU  - Munoz-Arnanz J
AD  - Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of 
      Organic Chemistry (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain. 
      Electronic address: juan.ma@iqog.csic.es.
FAU - Cortes-Avizanda, A
AU  - Cortes-Avizanda A
AD  - Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of 
      Seville, Av. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012, Seville, Spain; Department of Conservation 
      Biology, Estacion Biologica de Donana, CSIC, C/. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, 
      Seville, Spain.
FAU - Donazar-Aramendia, I
AU  - Donazar-Aramendia I
AD  - Laboratorio de Biologia Marina, Seville Aquarium R + D + I Biological Research 
      Area, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Sevilla, 41012, 
      Seville, Spain.
FAU - Arrondo, E
AU  - Arrondo E
AD  - Department of Conservation Biology, Estacion Biologica de Donana, CSIC, C/. 
      Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain; Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion 
      Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernandez University, Elche, 
      Spain; Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Spain.
FAU - Ceballos, O
AU  - Ceballos O
AD  - UGARRA, Avda. Carlos III 1, 31002, Pamplona, Navarre, Spain.
FAU - Colomer-Vidal, P
AU  - Colomer-Vidal P
AD  - Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of 
      Organic Chemistry (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
FAU - Jimenez, B
AU  - Jimenez B
AD  - Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of 
      Organic Chemistry (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
FAU - Donazar, J A
AU  - Donazar JA
AD  - Department of Conservation Biology, Estacion Biologica de Donana, CSIC, C/. 
      Americo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20231218
PL  - England
TA  - Environ Pollut
JT  - Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
JID - 8804476
RN  - 0 (Persistent Organic Pollutants)
RN  - DFC2HB4I0K (Polychlorinated Biphenyls)
RN  - 0 (Pesticides)
RN  - 0 (Environmental Pollutants)
RN  - 0 (Isotopes)
SB  - IM
MH  - Humans
MH  - Animals
MH  - Persistent Organic Pollutants
MH  - *Polychlorinated Biphenyls
MH  - Birds
MH  - *Falconiformes
MH  - Diet
MH  - *Pesticides
MH  - *Environmental Pollutants
MH  - Isotopes
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Contaminants
OT  - Egyptian vultures
OT  - Griffons
OT  - Landfills
OT  - OCPs
OT  - PCBs
OT  - Stable isotopes
OT  - Supplementary feeding stations
COIS- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known 
      competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared 
      to influence the work reported in this paper.
EDAT- 2023/12/21 00:41
MHDA- 2024/02/11 07:42
CRDT- 2023/12/20 19:32
PHST- 2023/10/22 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/12/13 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2023/12/16 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2024/02/11 07:42 [medline]
PHST- 2023/12/21 00:41 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/12/20 19:32 [entrez]
AID - S0269-7491(23)02190-5 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123188 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Environ Pollut. 2024 Feb 15;343:123188. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123188. Epub 
      2023 Dec 18.