Bioaccumulation of organochlorines (PCBs and p,p′-DDE) in Antarctic Adelie penguins Pygoscelis adeliae collected during a breeding season

Environmental Pollution (Series A) 40 (1986) 173-189

Bioaccumulation of Organochlorines (PCBs and p,p'DDE) in Antarctic Adelie Penguins Pygoscelis adeliae Collected During a Breeding Season An. Subramanian, Shinsuke Tanabe, Hideo Hidaka & Ryo Tatsukawa Department of Environment Conservation, Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, Tarumi 3-5-7, Matsuyama 790, Japan

ABSTRACT Subcutaneous fat (SCF) and abdominal fat (AF) of ten Adelie penguins (five male and five female) and the muscle, liver, bone and brain samples from three male specimens, collected during different days of starvation in a breeding season, were analysed for concentrations of PCBs and p,p'DDE. All the specimens analysed contained detectable levels of PCBs and DD E and both compounds werefound to be highly concentrated in thefatrich tissues, to the extent that the SCF burdens of both compounds can be considered as the total body burdens. On starvation during breeding, the concentrations of both compounds increased simultaneously in the declining fat reserves, as well as in other organs. Some redistribution of organochlorines to other tissues from the fat reserves was also noticed during starvation. The bioconcentration factor for DDE was found to be higher than for PCBs in all the levels of the Antarctic food chain and also the DDE/PCB ratio increased with increase in trophic levels, both indicating the high residual potentiality of DDT compounds in higher animals.

INTRODUCTION Previous studies on PCBs and D D T compounds in Adelie penguins by Sladen et al. (1966), George & Frear (1966), Risebrough et al. 0976), Ballschmiter et al. (1981) and Norheim et al. (1982) were b a s e d on

173 Era,iron. Pollut. Ser. A. 0143-1471/ 86/$03-50 ~ ElsevierApplied Science Publishers Ltd, England, 1986. Printed in Great Britain

174

An. Subramanian et al.

samples collected at one time. These studies reported either very low, or non-detectable, levels of organochlorines in Adelie penguin bodies or eggs. Penguins are endemic to the Antarctic, occupy the highest position in the Antarctic food chain, and their feeding habits are simple. So penguins can fairly well be utilised for studying the baseline pollution of basically pristine areas of the Southern Ocean. The transfer and accumulation of pollutants via the food chain in the Antarctic ecosystem, and hence a fair evaluation of the global transport, can also be made by the analysis of the pollutant levels in penguins. Every year, in a breeding season, Adelies spend about a month completely starving and another month or so with only occasional feeding. During this period penguins use up most of the fat reserves in their bodies and appear to maintain a delicate balance with the thermal demands of the environment (Stonehouse, 1970). So the analysis of the tissues of penguins should reveal a clear pattern of accumulation, metabolism and redistribution, if any, of organochlorines in their bodies. The present study is an attempt to delineate the distribution pattern of PCBs and p,p'-DDE, the effect of starvation and also the difference in the effects of ecological behaviour between male and female.

MATERIALS AND METHODS Adelie penguin samples were collected at Rumpa island rookery, 18 km SSW of Syowa station (69°00'S, 39°35'E), Antarctica (Fig. 1), in different stages of their breeding period (mating, egg-laying, incubation and chick-hatching), between November and December 1981, during the 22nd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. A schematic representation of the breeding ecology and the sampling data of Adelie penguins are shown in Fig. 2. As observed by Davis (1982), upon arrival at the breeding grounds both male and female Adelies start their period of starvation. Males extend this starvation through mating, egg-laying and the first incubation period, whereas the female goes to the sea to feed, after egg-laying, to replenish her fat reserves. After she returns, during the second incubation period, the male goes to sea to feed and returns before, or soon after, chick hatching to feed the newly hatched young, after which males and females make alternate feeding trips to the sea during the chick-rearing period.

Organochlorines in Antarctic Adelie penguins

175

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69°00' S

syowa station ---*~

Antarctica

69005' S

Rumpa island 69010 ' S

5 i

69015' S

10km !

,6

i

39°20'E

Fig. 1.

-~,< I

I

39°30'E

39°40'E

] , 39%0'E

Map showing R u m p a island, Antarctica--sampling site o f Adelie penguins

Pygoseelis adeliae.

The degree of starvation and balance of energy reserves with thermal requirements in the case of the Rumpa rookery Adelies used in the present study (Fig. 2) may be more acute than those in other locations reported by Sladen (1958) and Spurr (1975), because the Rumpa rookery is situated at a great distance from the open water. Matsuda (1963) observed some differences in the breeding behaviour of Adelies in Ongulkalven island from those reported for Adelies living in the Falkland islands (Sladen, Mating Male

~

Female Breeding starts I,ate October

~-

Date of collection

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Star vi ng

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Nov. Specimel~ number

Fig. 2.

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Schematic representation of the breeding ecology and sampling dates of Adelie penguins.

176

An. Subramanian et al.

1958). Aoyanagi (1979) also reported interesting phenomena on the breeding behaviour of Adelies. As a means of conservation and so as not to affect the population, only about twenty specimens were collected, of which ten were used for the present study; all the observations and conclusions on the effects of starvation on PCB and D D E in the Adelie body are based on single individuals collected at various stages. Possible individual variation may therefore affect the conclusions reported here. All the samples were transported to the laboratory frozen and were kept frozen until analysis. During analysis the specimens were dissected and samples of subcutaneous fat (SCF) from various parts of the body, abdominal fat (AF), muscle, liver, bone and brain samples of various specimens were analysed. Analyses of PCBs and D D T compounds were carried out following the alkaline alcohol digestion method of Wakimoto et al. (1971). Required amounts of the samples were reflexed in 1 N KOH-C2H5OH solution for 1 h. PCBs and DDE thus extracted into ethanol were transferred to 100ml hexane by shaking in a separating funnel (DDE values reported here also include DDT, because D D T is converted to DDE during alkaline alcohol digestion). Subsequently, the hexane layer was concentrated and cleaned up by passing through 1.5 g of Silica gel (Wako gel S-I) packed in a glass column (10mm inside diameter × 20cm). PCBs and DDE were eluted with 200 ml of hexane at an elution rate of one drop a second. The eluate was concentrated to 5 ml in a KD (Kuderna-Danish) concentrator and further cleaned up with 5~o fuming H2SO 4, These solutions were further microconcentrated whenever necessary in a stream of nitrogen. Aliquots of these samples were used for injection by splitless technique glass capillary gas chromatography with 63Ni electron capture detection using a Shimadzu 7A gas chromatograph. The column consisted of 30 m length × 0.23mm inside diameter glass capillary-WCOT-OV 101 for both PCB and DDE analysis. Total PCB concentrations in the samples were calculated by adding the concentrations of the individually resolved peaks of different PCB isomers and congeners. DDTs were resolved as a single p,p'-DDE peak. Operating conditions for PCBs were as follows. Temperature programme 180 to 230°C at a rate of 0.5°C s-1 with an initial 8min and final 32 rain hold. Both injector and detector temperatures were kept at 250°C.

Organochlorines in Antarctic Adelie penguins

177

For DDE the column temperature was 230 °C isothermal. Injector and detector temperatures were the same as in PCB analysis. Nitrogen was used both as carrier and make-up gas.

RESULTS A N D DISCUSSION Concentrations of PCBs and p,p'-DDE in the fat tissues of Adelie penguins and the effect of starvation

Concentrations of PCBs and p,p'-DDE in the SCF (from different parts of the body) and AF samples of male and female Adelies are shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. The concentrations of both compounds in the SCF samples selected from different parts of the body of the same specimen did not vary much, indicating the fact that SCF samples from any part of the body can be taken as a representative sample for organochlorine analysis. The ranges of concentrations varied widely in the specimens collected at various stages of starvation. In the male specimens the mean concentrations of PCBs in SCF samples ranged from 32.1 to 89.2 ng g- 1, whereas the DDE values ranged from 162 to 804 ng g - l , both on a fat weight basis (Table 1). The ranges of the concentrations of these compounds in females were 37.1 to 107ngg -1 for PCBs and 205 to 534ngg -1 for DDE, both on a fat weight basis (Table 2). The concentrations of these chemicals in different male and female specimens, collected during various stages of starvation, were found to vary (Fig. 3) with different starvation schedules (Fig. 2) of male and female Adelies. It is interesting to note from Figs 2 and 3 that, in the specimens collected before starvation (1 M, 2M, 3M and 2F, 3F--mating stage), concentrations were almost the same and the values did not vary much between SCF and AF samples. With the advancement of starvation, i.e. in the specimens collected after 15 days (5M and 5F--egglaying stage), concentrations increased, with a corresponding decrease in fat reserves (Fig. 3). After this (i.e. after egg-laying) the male specimen, collected after its long period of starvation (34 days), contained the highest concentrations of PCBs and DDE with a drastic decrease in fat reserves (Fig. 3). At the same time, however, in the female (7F) which had just returned from the sea after feeding (Fig. 2) concentrations of both compounds decreased in the replenished fat reserves (Fig. 3). In the female specimen collected after chick-hatching (8F), which was engaged

SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF

5 020 501

5 500 509

ZM-Mating 7 Nov. 1981

Fraction analysed

74.1 79.6 81.2 78.5 96.3

1077 51.3

1078 69.8

(g>

of fraction

-

Total weight

Fat

( %I

91.9 92.8 84.9 89.9 97.3

__

in Subcutaneous

1M-Mating 6 Nov. 1981

(mm)

(g) Body length

Body weight

of PCBs and p,p’-DDE

Specimen number stage and date of collection _.____

Concentrations

845 49.4

969 67.9

(g)

Fat content of fraction

TABLE 1 Fat (SCF) and Abdominal

27.9 26.7 26.6 27.1 30.7

30.9 30.6 25.4 29.0 30.7

ng g-’ -__ PCBs

145 160 166 157 172

181 166 151 166 172

DDE

37.3 33.5 32.8 34.5 31.9

33-6 32.9 29.9 32.1 31.6

PCBs

194 201 204 200 179

197 179 178 185 177

DDE

ng g-’ fat weight

of Male Adelie Penguins

wet weight

Fat (AF) Samples

E

3 9

g.

$

t, &

,b

4 110 530

3 740 498

5M-Egg-laying 22 Nov. 1981

7M-Incubation 11 Dec. 1981

SCF-D Mix SCF-V Mix Mean AF

SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF

SCF-F, D ° S CF- F,V SCF-C, D SCF-C, V SCF-R, D SCF-R, V Mean AF

45.4 47-8 46.6 80-8

73.1 62.6 69.2 68-3 92.3

92-3 82-3 79-3 87.9 96.1 89.3 87.9 94-6

= F, Front. C, Centre. R, Rear. D, Dorsal. V, Ventral.

5 860 528

3M-Mating 7 Nov. 1981

333 14-1

667 21.1

1 243 70.4

155 11.4

456 19.5

1 092 66-6

110 139 154 139 142 168 142 157 256 261 266 261 384 375 374 375 497

33-5 27.5 22-8 25.6 30-0 32.6 28.7 27.3 50.7 44.3 52-9 49.3 59.2 43.6 39-4 41.5 89.7

96-0 82.4 89-2 111

69.4 70.8 76-4 72-2 64.1

36-3 33.4 28-8 29.1 31-2 36.5 32-6 28-9

826 782 804 615

350 417 384 384 416

119 168 194 158 147 188 162 166

--..I

2

e~

~" :x

2"

2"

4710 483

5 420 518

3 850 474

4 540 512

3 790 499

3F-Mating 7 Nov. 1981

5F-Egg-laying 22 Nov. 1981

7F-Incubation change 11 Dec. 1981

8F-Chick hatching 22 Dec. 1981

Body weight (g) Body length (ram)

2F-Mating 7 Nov. 1981

Specimen number stage and date of collection

SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF

SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF

SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF

SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF

SCF-Front SCF-Centre SCF-Rear Mean AF

Fraction analysed

71.2 69.4 64.0 68.2 94-3

78.0 79.0 89-8 82.3 94.9

81.3 63.7 78.8 74.6 80.8

83.7 86.1 92.5 87.4 98-6

88.4 80.5 92.1 87-0 92.8

Fat (%)

654 33.4

931 40-8

371 26.6

1 213 77.8

832 61.8

447 31.5

766 38.7

277 21.5

1 060 76.7

724 57-4

Total weight Fat content of of fraction fraction (g) (g)

47.1 37.6 42.6 42-4 54-1

28.1 26.8 33.0 29-3 40.1

87-6 71.1 80.5 79.7 99.9

27.4 35.8 34.1 32.4 37.9

34.3 36.4 38.4 36-4 41.0

242 205 182 210 261

147 144 139 143 143

424 350 421 398 588

177 178 183 179 204

213 249 208 223 259

66.2 54.2 66-6 62.3 57.4

36-0 35.6 36-7 36.1 42.3

108 112 102 107 124

32.7 41.6 36.9 37.1 38.4

38.8 45.2 41-7 41-9 44-2

340 295 284 306 277

189 182 155 175 151

522 545 534 534 728

211 207 198 205 207

241 309 226 259 279

DDE

PCBs

PCBs

DDE

ng g,X fat weight

ng g-1 wet weight

TABLE 2 Concentrations of PCBs and p,p'-DDE in the Subcutaneous Fat (SCF) and Abdominal Fat (AF) Samples of Female Adelie Penguins

~x

Organochlorines in Antarctic Adelie penguins 120

181

1200 Male

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800

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Fig. 3. Variationsin the concentrationsof PCBs(O) and DDE (O) withchangesin SCF (A) in male and female Adelie penguins. in the second incubation, i.e. which was again starving, the concentrations once again increased in the declining fat reserves (Fig. 3). Concentrations and burdens in various body parts and tissues and redistribution during starvation Concentrations of both chemicals in other body parts of the three male specimens analysed were very low when compared with the concentrations in SCF and AF samples, certainly because of their lower fat percentage (Table 3). It was also found that the total PCB and D D E burdens in the SCF + AF comprised about 80 ~o or more of the total body burden in all three specimens analysed (Table 4). Thus, as suggested by Tanabe et al. (1981) in striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba and by Hidaka et al. (1983) in Weddell seals Leptonychotes weddelli, the burden

Muscle Liver Bone Brain

Muscle Liver Bone Brain

5M-Egg-laying

7M-Incubation

ND, Not determined.

Muscle Liver Bone Brain

Sample analysed

3M-Mating

Specimen number and stage

1 945 79.5 424 16.5

1 874 ND 509 18-4

2600 110 541 22

Total weight of sample (g)

2.16 3.36 12.7 6.00

1.89 ND 9.1 5-86

2.38 3.78 14-6 4-84

Fat (%)

42.0 2.67 53.8 0.99

34-5 ND 46-3 1.08

61.9 4.16 79.9 1.07

Fat content of sample (g)

0.74 0.83 5.29 0.80

0.47 ND 4.58 0.53

0.18 0-28 2.88 0.36

9.06 5.56 38.3 6-52

4-23 ND 28.6 3.65

1.43 0.52 17.8 1.37

34-3 24.7 41.6 13-3

24.9 ND 50.3 9.04

7.56 7-41 19.7 7.44

419 165 301 108

224 ND 314 62.3

60.1 13.8 122 28-3

DDE

PCBs

PCBs

DDE

ng g- 1fat weight

ng g 1 wet weight

TABLE 3 Concentrations of PCBs and p,p'-DDE in the Muscle, Liver, Bone and Brain Samples of Male Adelie Penguins

~o

15

34

5M-Egg-laying

7M-Incubation

ND, Not determined.

--

Days o f starvation

3M-Mating

Specimen number and stage

SCF AF Muscle Liver Bone Brain

SCF AF Muscle Liver Bone Brain

SCF AF Muscle Liver Bone Brain

Tissue and organ

13.8 1-27 1-44 0.066 2.24 0.013

32.9 1.25 0-85 ND 2-33 0.009

35.7 1.92 0.47 0.031 1-56 0.008

PCB burden (~g)

73.3 6.75 7.65 0.35 11.9 0.07

88.1 3.35 2.28 ND 6.24 0.024

90 4.84 1-18 0.08 3.93 0.02

Per cent total

125 7-01 17.6 0-441 16-2 0-107

174 8.11 7.73 ND 14.5 0-067

179 11.1 3.72 0.058 9.64 0.03

DDE burden (lag)

TABLE 4 Percentage in the Total Burdens of PCBs and p,p'-DDE in the Tissues and Organs of Adelie Penguins

75.1 4.21 10.6 0.27 9.74 0-06

85.1 3.97 3.78 ND 7.09 0.03

87.9 5.45 1.83 0.03 4.74 0.02

Per cent total

~.

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184

An. Subramanian et al.

in the SCF + AF, of organochlorines, can also be safely assumed to be almost the total body burden in the case of Antarctic Adelie penguins. Even though the concentrations and burdens are always the highest in fat tissues, some redistribution to other body parts and tissues was observed in the starved specimens (Table 4). In specimen 3M, collected just after the start of the breeding period (mating stage), the percentage of the levels of both compounds were the highest in the fat tissues. With the advancement of starvation (5M and 7M), the percentage of the levels in other organs increased correspondingly with a slight decrease in the level in the fat, indicating a clear redistribution of organochlorines from SCF to other body parts, the bone and muscle being the major recipients. This finding agrees fairly well with the suggestions of Matthews & Dedrick (1984) that a change in the PCB concentration or tissue volume of any one tissue will result in a corresponding change of concentration in all tissues, i.e. the concentrations of these compounds increased simultaneously in the fat reserves, as well as in other parts, because of the drastic decline in fat during starvation in penguins; as a result, when the fat reserves declined to a critical level, the percentage of these compounds in other organs increased. On redistribution, even if the brain and liver receive more than their 'shares', this cannot be expected to have any hazardous effects, as observed in big brown bats Eptesicus juscus by Clarke & Prouty (1977) and in sparrowhawks (Accipiter nisus) by Bogan & Newton (1977), because the concentrations of D D E observed in the brains of penguins are far lower than the values reported by these authors. But, at the same time, if D D E has the effect of increasing respiratory rates in liver mitochondria (Parker, 1960), or can accentuate the metabolism of fats (Clarke & Prouty, 1977), these compounds can be expected to have some hazardous effects on Adelies also, because these penguins are in situations where energy stores are closely balanced against their metabolic needs in their cold and thermoneutral environment (Stonehouse, 1970) during the breeding period. Thus, even a small increase in metabolism because of the increase in organochlorine circulation in blood may lead to hazardous effects. Comparison with other birds Concentrations of both compounds in Adelies are very low (Tables 1 and 2) compared with those in other birds (Table 5) from both hemispheres.

SCF SCF

Male Female

Adelie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae Adelie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae

Plasma Plasma Plasma Plasma Pectoral muscle Pectoral muscle Pectoral muscle Pectoral muscle SCF SCF SCF SCF SCF SCF Breast muscle Whole bird Breast muscle Whole bird Breast muscle Breast muscle Breast muscle

Tissue or organ

Breast muscle

Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Male Male Male Male Male

Sex

Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus

Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus Peregrine falcon Falco peregrmus Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus Herring gull Larus argentatus Herring gull Larus argentatus Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea Common murre Uria aalge Thick-billed murre Uria lomvia Tufted puffin Lunda cirrhata Horned puffin Fratercula corniculata Short-tailed shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus Northern blue penguin Eudyptula minor Fairy prion Pachyptila turtur Common diving petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix Common diving petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix Mottled petrel Pterodroma inexpectata Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus

Name oJ the bird

Note: Original values were averaged a n d / o r converted to fat weight basis wherever necessary.

Maryland Virginia Maryland Virginia Texas Texas Southwestern Finland Southwestern Finland Southwestern Finland Southwestern Finland Northern North Pacific Northern North Pacific Northern North Pacific Northern North pacific Northern North Pacific Northern North Pacific Cook Strait, New Zealand Brothers Island Brothers Island Snares Island Snares Island Snares Island Auckland Islands (Ewing Island) Auckland Islands (Ocean Island) Antarctica Antarctica

Area ofcollection

TABLE $

0.347 0.296

14.8

0.75 0.06 0.28 0.05 200.2 152-4 31.5 26.1 1.5 1.6 2.1 1-9 1.4 1.2 15.6 7.5 2.6 0.18 4.92 1.63 1.70

Z DDT

Bennington et al. (1975)

Henny et al. (1982) Henny et aL (1982) Hermy et al. (1982) Henny et al. (1982) Lemmetyinen et al. (1982) Lemmetyinen et al. (1982) Lemmetyinen et al. (1982) Lemmetyinen et al. (1982) Tanaka & Ogi (1984) Tanaka & Ogi (1984) Tanaka & Ogi (1984) Tanaka & Ogi (1984) Tanaka & Ogi (1984) Tanaka & Ogi (1984) Bennington et al. (1975) Bennington et al. (1975) Bennington et al. (1975) Bennington et al. (1975) Bennington et al. (1975) Bennington et al. (1975) Bennington et al. (1975)

Reference

0.052 Present study 0-056 Present study

15.0

----529.8 523.8 74.6 40.3 1.8 1.8 5.1 4.6 1.8 1.7 2.4 1.6 3.1 0.1 5.3 2.1 5.5

PCBs

lag g i fat weight

C o n c e n t r a t i o n s of PCBs a n d D D T c o m p o u n d s in Bird Species Collected from Various Areas

186

An. Subramanian et al.

Adelies are endemic and their distribution is restricted to the pack ice of the Antarctic region in summer and the Southern Ocean, south of the Antarctic convergence, in winter (Carrick & Inham, 1967, 1970; Stonehouse, 1970), whereas the other birds compared here are mostly migratory and were even collected from various locations other than polar regions. It is therefore safe to assume that penguins are exposed to very low concentrations of these chemicals and that other birds have accumulated them in their migratory grounds. In the very few works available, either very low, or non-detectable, levels have been reported in several species of penguin and their eggs (George & Frear, 1966; Risebrough & Carmignani, 1972; Conroy & French, 1974; Donnewald et al., 1979; Schrader et al., 1979) and in the Antarctic atmosphere and hydrosphere (Tanabe et al., 1983). Bioaccumulation of PCBs and DDT compounds in the Antarctic ecosystem Figure 4 shows the average concentrations of D D E and PCBs in several marine organisms and ambient water in the Antarctic, the bioconcentration factor (BCF), and DDE/PCB ratio at different trophic levels of the Antarctic food chain. The values of the concentrations of PCBs and D D E in other organisms and ambient water of the Antarctic were taken from previous reports (Tatsukawa & Tanabe, 1980; Hidaka et al., 1983; Subramanian et al., 1983). In spite of the fact that there were higher concentrations of PCBs than 10 2

o..--o

10 8 0 " " " ~0

z

/

,0 0

/ /

~3

v ~; 10 2

s

s

ip4

/ /

01 i

9

SW

d/ /

cz

.~°

10 4

10 6

/

/

IO 2 KR

F

P

WS

KR

F

P

WS

SW

KR

F

P

WS

Fig. 4. Concentrations (ppb, pglitre-' for seawater and ngg-1 for organisms) and bioconcentration factors (BCF) of DDE (©) and PCBs (O) and DDE/PCBs ratios (A) at different trophic levels of Antarctic food chain. SW, Seawater; KR, Krill; F, Fish: P, Penguins; WS, Weddell seal.

Organochlorines in Antarctic Adelie penguins

187

of D D E in water, in all the biological specimens higher concentrations of DDE than of PCBs were observed (Fig. 4). BCF values also increase with trophic levels, showing food chain accumulation, and it is also clear that the more lipophilic D D E is accumulated at a higher rate than PCBs and that the values increased through krill, fish, penguin and Weddell seal. The increasing DDE/PCB ratio (Fig. 4) with trophic level also indicates t h e same point--that comparatively easily metabolisable PCBs are eliminated at a faster rate in higher animals. In Fig. 4, it can be seen that the DDE/PCB ratio is slightly higher in penguins than in the mammal, the Weddell seal. This can be explained by the fact that penguins may be expected to have a higher metabolic capacity for these compounds than the seal, because they starve for nearly two months of each year. Moreover, the continued secretion of the oily substance by the preen glands in all aquatic birds (Apandi & Edwards, 1964), which may possibly contain more PCBs in penguins, increases the DDE/PCB ratio more than in seal. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Specimens for the present study were collected under a project of the 22nd Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE-22). The authors are grateful to Professor Y. Yoshida, leader of JARE-22, from the National Institute of Polar Research, for his kind arrangements and encouragement in this survey. We wish to thank Mr N. Kurihara, Radio Research Laboratories, for his devoted support in sampling and also other members of JARE-22 for their co-operation. This work was supported by a Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (Project No. 59030060). REFERENCES Aoyanagi, M. (1979). Annual change of individual numbers and nest sites of the marked Adelie penguins in the Ongulkalven rookery. In Memoirs o f Natl Inst. Polar Res. Spec. Issue, No. 11. Proc. Symposium on Terrestrial ecosystem in the Syowa station area, Natl Inst. Polar Res., Tokyo,

February 1979, 130--9. Apandi, M. & Edwards, Jr, H. M. (1964). Studies on the composition of the secretions of the uropygial gland of some avian species. Poult. Sci., 43, 1445-62.

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