Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in 3 species of Antarctic Penguins

The data set reports the POP concentrations in three species of penguins: Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) and Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua). The found concentrations were lower than those found in seabird species from other areas of the world. PCBs and p,p'-DDE together accounted for more than 70% of the total POP residue. The HCB made up 24% in Chinstrap penguins and 27% in the 55 other two species. The PBDEs were approximately 1%POP concentrations. Different chemical accumulation patterns were observed in relation to species and sex; the Adélie penguin showed the highest POP levels. Dissimilar ecological or metabolic features may be involved; the diverse timing of reproduction steps can be responsible for those differences; moreover, Adélie penguins feed on krill (a fatty resource) more abundantly than the other two species during the rearing period