Abstract
Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, selemium,and tin concentrations were measured in the feathers of Capecormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis), Hartlaub’s gull(Larus hartlaubii), kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), andlesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) from the coast ofNamibia in southern Africa. Metal concentrations in feathers represent the concentrations in the blood supply at the time offeather formation. Cape Cormorants are piscivores; kelp gullsare primarily piscivores; Hartlaub’s gull is an omnivore; and lesser flamingos eat primarily blue-green algae and invertebrates filtered from the water and sediment ofhypersaline lagoons. We predicted that metal concentrationswould reflect these trophic level differences. There weresignificant species differences in the concentrations of allmetals, with flamingos having the lowest levels, and cormorantshaving the highest levels of 4 metals but not mercury. The gulls hadthe highest levels of mercury, perhaps reflecting their morescavenging behavior.
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Burger, J., Gochfeld, M. Metal Levels in Feathers of Cormorants, Flamingos and Gulls from the Coast of Namibia in Southern Africa. Environ Monit Assess 69, 195–203 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010710108434
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010710108434