PBMS archive holdings: a Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) report

摘要

The Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS; http://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/) is the umbrella project that encompasses the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s National Capability contaminant monitoring and surveillance work on avian predators. By monitoring sentinel vertebrate species, the PBMS aims to detect and quantify current and emerging chemical threats to the environment and in particular to vertebrate wildlife.udAs part of its chemical monitoring studies the PBMS receives and carries out post-mortem examinations on approximately 300 birds or prey each year. A range of tissues are taken from the carcasses. Around 100 addled and deserted eggs from various species are also submitted to the PBMS. The eggs are cracked open and the contents collected. The shells are retained for two years prior to being donated to the National Museums Scotland for cataloguing and archiving.udThe main purpose for collecting tissues and egg contents is for use in annual monitoring of pollutant concentrations by the PBMS. However, not all samples are used each year for chemical analyses and, even when samples are used, typically only a sub-sample is analysed. Samples that are not analysed or for which only a sub-sample is analysed are retained in the PBMS archive. Overall, the number of samples in the PBMS archive is approaching 50,000 tissue and egg content samples. ududThe material in the archive is used for research studies investigating chemical fate and behaviour, to trial new monitoring, and for a wide range of other studies, some of which are unrelated to pollutants. ududThe purpose of this short report is to summarise the main holdings in the PBMS archive. This is done for the seven species for which we currently or used to obtain relatively large numbers of carcasses. We also draw attention to holdings of a small number of other species which may be of priority conservation concern. The information is broken down by type of sample that is held, the decade in which it was collected, and provenance as to whether samples were from England and Wales, or Scotland. In addition to information on numbers of samples from carcasses, we provide a description on the holdings for the number of egg contents for various species, again broken down by decade and provenance.ud