Human originated pollutants in breeding seabirds - An assessment of pollution status in the course of breeding, it´s relation to foraging ecology, ingested plastic particles and impacts on breeding be-haviours of a Mediterranean top predator, the Scopoli´s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea).

• Applicant: Professorin Petra Quillfeldt, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions ; Oceanography
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 437441322

The Mediterranean basin is a marine environment with elevated pollution levels and plastic waste. Seabirds are marine top predators that cover wide ranges and congregate in colonies during breeding. As bionindicators they can offer an insight in the pollution status of their marine habitat. This project aims to assess pollutant concentrations throughout different periods in Scopoli´s shearwaters from three areas in the Medi-terranean Sea, where ecotoxicology has rarely been investigated. We will assess the relationships of different pollutants and how they vary throughout different seasons, breeding phases and according to diet. The impacts of plastic pollution on marine organisms are recently discussed and it is not clear wether ingested microplastics or larger plastic particles can lead to higher pollutant burdens or have impacts on reproduction or behaviours. We aim to analyse the relationship between plasticizers and other pollutants in order to investigate the potential hazards for marine animals due to plastic ingestion. The results of this project can 1) close knowledge gaps about contaminants in free living marine organisms in the central, south and east of the Mediterranean Sea, 2) give insight to pollutant impacts on behaviour and reproduction on shearwaters and 3) contribute with field data to the up-to-date scientific discussion about potential hazards of pollutants in relation to ingested plastic particles under environmental concentrations.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Rolf-Alexander Düring