Integrating population connectivity into pollution assessment: Overwintering mixing reveals flame retardant contamination in breeding areas in a migratory raptor.

Integrating population connectivity into pollution assessment: Overwintering mixing reveals flame retardant contamination in breeding areas in a migratory raptor. Environ Res. 2018 Jun 27;166:553-561 Authors: Blanco G, Sergio F, Frías Ó, Salinas P, Tanferna A, Hiraldo F, Barceló D, Eljarrat E Abstract Determining the exposure and magnitude at which various pollutants are differentially assimilated at the breeding and non-breeding grounds of migratory wildlife is challenging. Here, the possibility of applying the migratory connectivity framework to understanding contamination in birds is illustrated by considering flame retardants in inviable eggs of a migratory raptor, the black kite (Milvus migrans). The occurrence and concentration of legacy and emerging compounds in eggs from the southeastern peri-urban area of Madrid city, central Spain, were compared with those from Doñana National Park in southern Spain. A much higher occurrence and concentration of multiple polybrominated diphenyl ethers and Dechlorane 602 were found in Madrid than Doñana, but the opposite patterns were found for Dechlorane Plus. Individuals from these and other breeding areas in western Europe showed a strong intermixing pattern over widespread wintering areas in Africa, as assessed by ringing recoveries and movements tracked by satellite devices. This diffuse migratory connectivity reveals breeding areas as the main contamination grounds. High contamina...
Source: Environmental Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Environ Res Source Type: research