Título: Distribution of metals and pesticides in spoonbills from natural areas of the southwest Spain. The impact on the microbial-produced metabolites and gut microbiota.
Resumen: The existence of industrial and urban centers in Andalusia, which constitute important potential sources of pollutants with environmental impact, makes advisable the study and evaluation of the presence, fate and accumulation of various xenobiotics in the tissues of living organisms present in particularly sensitive ecosystems. The consequences of pollution due to heavy metals are widely recognized on a global, regional and local scale [1] as well as their influence on ecosystems [2], especially in areas with abundant water, which acts as a carrier of these pollutants. The common spoonbill (Platalea leucordia) is a wetland-dwelling wading bird highly sensitive to pollution, making it a good bioindicator for assessing the ecological health of ecosystems [3]. The presence of high concentrations of pollutants may be associated with thinning of the shell, reduced reproductive and suppressed immunological capacity, as well as adverse effects on embryo development, especially malformations and lethal effects leading to the decline of populations. Therefore, it has been proposed to study the presence of metals and pesticides in organs and tissues (liver, blood, eggs) to assess the exposure of birds used as bioindicators of contamination. Thus, it will provide information about the environmental status of these ecological environments and the degree of threat that birds and free-living animals in these areas may face.
Congreso: SETAC Europe 34th Annual Meeting
