Effect of age and location in the concentration of cadmium and copper in the liver of the Kelp gull Larus dominicanus

摘要

We analyzed Cu and Cd liver concentration in adults and fledglings of Kelp gull from an urban (Coquimbo city) and a wild (Pajaros Islet) colony. Cu concentration was 15.57 +/- 0.079 mu g g(-1) dry weight for adults and fledglings of both colonies. Adults Cd concentration from both colonies was 9.72 +/- 0.110 mu g g(-1) dw, being 194 of the level considered toxic but in the range for seabirds. In the urban fledglings Cd was below the detection level. Wild fledgling showed higher concentration of 1.54 +/- 0.064 mu g g(-1) dw which probably reflects a biomagnification process, because parents kleptoparasite and consume eggs and chicks of other seabirds.