Tracing waterbird exposure to total mercury and selenium: a case study at the solar saltworks of Thyna (sfax, Tunisia)

Saltworks have emerged as important alternative/complementary feeding habitats for avifauna. However, the consequences of such habitat shifts in terms of changes in exposure to contaminants are poorly understood. We evaluated the exposure of the waterbird community breeding at the saltworks of Thyna (Tunisia) to total Hg (THg) and Se according to their differential use of saltworks dietary resources, as revealed by δ13C and δ1?N values in their eggs (included species [n] -sorted according to increasing reliance on saltworks resources: Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis [12], Common Tern Sterna hirundo [12], Slender-billed Gull Larus genei [15], Little Egret Egretta garzetta [20], and Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta [22]). Concentrations of THg and Se were under the threshold points for deleterious effects. Egg THg concentrations significantly decreased as the dietary contribution of saltworks resources increased (mean: 3.23, 1.66, 0.76, 0.4, and 0.27 μg/g dw, respectively). Conversely, egg Se concentrations did not vary according to foraging habitats (2.49, 2.96, 2.61, 3.27, and 1.5 μg/g dw, respectively). Tracing waterbird exposure to THg and Se at saltworks was feasible through the use stable isotopic assays of eggs. Birds using saltworks are not exposed to higher concentrations of THg and Se than in adjacent marine habitats.