Temporal trend of mercury in relation to feeding habits and food availability in arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from Svalbard, Norway

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 670; pp. 1125 - 1132
• Main Authors: Hallanger, Ingeborg G., Fuglei, Eva, Yoccoz, Nigel G., Pedersen, Åshild Ø., König, Max, Routti, Heli
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 20.06.2019; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Diet; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants - metabolism; Female; Foxes - physiology; Linear Models; Male; Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400; Mathematics and natural science: 400; Mercury - metabolism; Predatory Behavior; Sea ice; Seasons; Svalbard; Terrestrial diet; Time Factors; Time trend; VDP; δ13C; Svalbard; Time trend; δ13C; Hg; Sea ice; Terrestrial diet; δC
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.239

We investigated the temporal trend of mercury (Hg) in arctic foxes from Svalbard, Norway sampled in the period 1997–2014 (n = 109, from 11 trapping seasons). We used linear models to investigate the effect of trapping season, feeding habits (δ13C), food availability from marine and terrestrial ecosystems (reindeer carcasses and sea ice cover), sex, age and body condition on liver total Hg (THg) levels. Liver THg levels increased in arctic foxes with 7.2% (95% CI: 2.3, 9.6) per year when the concentrations were adjusted for variation of δ13C, sea ice cover, and reindeer carcasses, whereas the raw annual trend was 3.5% (CI: −0.11, 7.2). However, the THg levels in arctic foxes from Svalbard are still lower than other marine mammals. We also demonstrate that arctic fox terrestrial food consumption is important for lowering the overall THg levels in this species. [Display omitted] •We analyzed liver concentrations of THg in 109 arctic foxes from Svalbard.•THg levels in arctic foxes increased with 7.2% per year from 1997 to 2014.•The increase in THg per year is lower than in other Arctic regions.•Terrestrial food consumption reduced THg levels in arctic foxes.