{"id":3447,"date":"2018-12-04T21:26:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T21:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seapop.no\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2021-02-26T12:23:26","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T11:23:26","slug":"the-concentration-of-contaminants-in-great-skuas-is-determined-mainly-by-choice-of-prey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seapop.no\/en\/2018\/12\/the-concentration-of-contaminants-in-great-skuas-is-determined-mainly-by-choice-of-prey\/","title":{"rendered":"The concentration of contaminants in great skuas is determined mainly by choice of prey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In order to explain the large variation in levels of halogenated organic contaminants in great skuas, both between and within colonies in the Northeast Atlantic, researchers tested blood samples from more than 200 adult skuas. The results indicate that the level of toxins accumulated in the body is determined by individual behaviour of the birds.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Toxic at the top of the food chain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is well known that the concentration of environmental toxins in wild animals increases with trophic level. The higher up in the food chain you are, the higher the level of toxins, since these chemicals accumulate at every step in the chain. The great skua Stercorarius skua<\/em> is a territorial predator feeding mainly on fish, but it can also eat bird eggs and chicks, and even adult birds in the breeding period. Therefore, it is not unexpected that relatively high levels of contaminants are found in great skuas. It is surprising, however, that the concentration of such substances varies greatly, both between and within colonies in the Northeast Atlantic. In a recently published scientific study, researchers measured the levels of environmental toxins in blood samples from great skuas breeding across the Northeast Atlantic in order to explain the variation in the concentration of halogenated organic contaminants (HOCs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the article:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n