An investigation of physiological effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a long-distance migratory seabird, the northern gannet

Louise Champoux; Jean-François Rail; Magali Houde; Maeva Giraudo; Émilie Lacaze; Cynthia D Franci; Graham D Fairhurst; Keith A Hobson; Pauline Brousseau; Magella Guillemette; David Pelletier; William A Montevecchi; Stéphane Lair; Jonathan Verreault; Catherine Soos

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110953

An investigation of physiological effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a long-distance migratory seabird, the northern gannet

Mar Pollut Bull. 2020 Apr:153:110953. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110953. Epub 2020 Feb 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Québec, QC, Canada.
² Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Québec, QC, Canada.
³ Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Montréal, QC, Canada.
⁴ McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.
⁵ Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
⁶ Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
⁷ Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski, Rimouski, Québec, Canada.
⁸ Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada.
⁹ Cégep de Rimouski, Rimouski, QC, Canada.
¹⁰ Psychology Department, Memorial University, St. John's, NFL, Canada.
¹¹ Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
¹² Centre de recherche en toxicologie de l'environnement (TOXEN), Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
¹³ Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada. Electronic address: catherine.soos@canada.ca.

PMID: 32275518
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110953

Abstract

Exposure to oil can have long-term impacts on migratory birds. Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), we investigated potential impacts of oil exposure on a population of northern gannets (Morus bassanus) that breed on Bonaventure Island (Québec, Canada) and winter in GOM and along the U.S. Atlantic coast (AC). Blood and feather samples were collected from adults previously equipped with geolocators to determine wintering locations. Parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); trace metals; stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen; and immune, thyroid, steroid, retinoid, and genetic endpoints were measured. PAH and trace metal concentrations did not differ between gannets using different wintering sites. Feather stable isotope values varied significantly between birds from different wintering locations. Gannets wintering in GOM showed higher feather corticosterone and plasma thyroid hormone levels, which may indicate increased energetic demands and/or greater exposure to environmental stressors.

Keywords: Deepwater Horizon oil spill; Feather-based biomarkers; Northern gannet; PAHs; Stress physiology; Thyroid hormones.

MeSH terms

Animals
Birds*
Canada
Environmental Monitoring*
Gulf of Mexico
Petroleum Pollution*
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Quebec
Water Pollutants, Chemical*

Substances

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Water Pollutants, Chemical