Mercury exposure, stress and prolactin secretion in an Arctic seabird: an experimental study

Life-history theory predicts that long-lived organisms should reduce parental effort under inclement environmental conditions in order to favour long-term survival. Seabirds are long-lived top predators often exposed to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals such as mercury (Hg). Hg-contaminated birds show disrupted parental behaviour. Avian parental behaviour is governed by two key hormones in birds: corticosterone (CORT, a glucocorticoid hormone) and prolactin (PRL, a pituitary hormone involved in parental care). Any disruption of these hormones may alter the ability of an individual to adjust parental behaviour to environmental conditions. The first aim of this study was to describe the relationships between blood Hg concentrations, plasma PRL and reproductive performance in Arctic black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). We a found negative relationship between plasma initial PRL and blood Hg concentrations in males. Moreover, Hg concentration was negatively related to bree...