Using Eggs of Two Species, Ardea cinerea and Chlidonia shybrid,as Biomonitors for PAH Compounds in Anzali Wetland

Abstract

In the present study, 10 egg samples of two bird species and 16 surface sediment samples were collected in order to determine the concentrations and origins of 23 PAH compounds. Then, PAH compounds were extracted using the clean-up method, following which the compounds were analyzed with the GC-MS. The total concentrations of the 22 PAH compounds (except for perylene) were determined within the ranges of 560.05 to 833.66 and 185 to 284.15 ng g-1 dry weight in the sediment samples and the bird egg samples, respectively. The results of the statistical tests indicated that there is no significant relationship between the total concentration of the 22 PAH compounds in the sediment samples collected from the two regions studied. Nevertheless, the concentration of these compounds in the samples of the Ardea cinerea eggs was obtained more than that of Chlidonia shybrida. The results from the tests aiming at the determination of the origin of PAH compounds and of perylene demonstrated a biogenic origin for perylene and a petrogenic origin for the PAH compounds. Since the concentrations of the PAH compounds analyzed in all the sediment and egg samples indicated the same distribution and origin, it can be concluded that these compounds were accumulated in the birds' eggs from the breeding areas and that the eggs of the two species studied can be considered as suitable biomonitors for PAH compounds.

Keywords

• Origin determination
• PAH
• Surface sediments
• Birds eggs
• Anzali wetland.