Ingestion

Environmental science

Fishery

Biochemistry

Biology

Zoology

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Multivariate analyses were used to assess the independent determinants of four organochlorines (OCs) in the fat and eggs of breeding female Great Shearwaters Puffinus gravis. The amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDE, DDT, and dieldrin, in both adult fat tissue and in eggs were positively correlated. However, there was no correlation between the amounts of OCs in adults and their eggs. Positive correlations between the amounts of different OCs in adults and in eggs suggest that individual differences in non-breeding range, diet and age are determinants of pollutant levels within a species. The mass of ingested plastic was positively correlated only with PCBs, a group of chemicals commonly found in plastics. It is probable that seabirds assimilate PCBs and other toxic chemicals partly from ingested plastic particles.

Plastic ingestion and PCBs in seabirds: Is there a relationship?