TY - JOUR
T1 - Identifying the provenance of Leach's storm petrels in the North Atlantic using polychlorinated biphenyl signatures derived from comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry
AU - Megson, David
AU - Brown, Thomas A.
AU - Johnson, Glenn W.
AU - O'Sullivan, Gwen
AU - Bicknell, Anthony W. J.
AU - Votier, Stephen C.
AU - Lohan, Maeve C.
AU - Comber, Sean
AU - Kalin, Robert
AU - Worsfold, Paul J.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Ann Tanderitispole and Chris Gallagher (University of Strathclyde) for their assistance with sample analysis and the Scottish Funding Council and EPSRC Grant EP/D013739/2 for funding associated with the University of Strathclyde Laboratory. Alec Kettle (Leco) for his help and support with the research. Thanks to Greg Robertson at Canada Wildlife Services, Newfoundland for supplying the samples from the Canadian wreck and members of the public that kindly sent in corpses found in the UK. Finally, David Megson would also like to thank Plymouth University for funding this project as part of his PhD research.
PY - 2014/11
Y1 - 2014/11
N2 - PCB signatures can be used for source identification, exposure studies, age dating and bio-monitoring. This study uses comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-ToFMS) to produce a PCB signature comprised of over 80 PCBs for individual Leach's storm petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). The Leach's storm petrel is a relatively small, elusive, understudied pelagic bird, which only returns to remote islands under darkness during the breeding season. Samples were obtained from 25 Leach's storm petrels found dead in Canada and the UK following storm events in 2006 and 2009. Tissue samples were extracted and analysed by GCxGC-ToFMS and results showed that 83 PCB congeners were present in >60% of samples. An assessment of the PCB signature in four different tissue types showed that it did not vary greatly in samples obtained from the gut, heart, liver and stomach. Multivariate statistical analysis identified a distinctive PCB signature in birds from Canada and Europe which was used to identify the regional provenance and transatlantic movement of individual birds. The findings showcase the ability of GCxGC-ToFMS to provide the high quality congener specific analysis that is necessary for PCB fingerprinting, as well as highlighting the potential of PCB signatures for use in ecological studies of movement, foraging and behaviour.
AB - PCB signatures can be used for source identification, exposure studies, age dating and bio-monitoring. This study uses comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-ToFMS) to produce a PCB signature comprised of over 80 PCBs for individual Leach's storm petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). The Leach's storm petrel is a relatively small, elusive, understudied pelagic bird, which only returns to remote islands under darkness during the breeding season. Samples were obtained from 25 Leach's storm petrels found dead in Canada and the UK following storm events in 2006 and 2009. Tissue samples were extracted and analysed by GCxGC-ToFMS and results showed that 83 PCB congeners were present in >60% of samples. An assessment of the PCB signature in four different tissue types showed that it did not vary greatly in samples obtained from the gut, heart, liver and stomach. Multivariate statistical analysis identified a distinctive PCB signature in birds from Canada and Europe which was used to identify the regional provenance and transatlantic movement of individual birds. The findings showcase the ability of GCxGC-ToFMS to provide the high quality congener specific analysis that is necessary for PCB fingerprinting, as well as highlighting the potential of PCB signatures for use in ecological studies of movement, foraging and behaviour.
KW - Chemical fingerprinting
KW - Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography
KW - Leach's storm petrel
KW - Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs)
KW - Time of flight mass spectrometry
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84905707117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.04.061
DO - 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.04.061
M3 - Article
C2 - 25113202
AN - SCOPUS:84905707117
SN - 0045-6535
VL - 114
SP - 195
EP - 202
JO - Chemosphere
JF - Chemosphere
ER -