Exploring the use of gull eggs as bioindicators of phthalate esters exposure.

Plastic pollution and associated plasticizers are a global threat affecting aquatic environments. Phthalates are among the most used plasticizers that can impact on fauna due to their endocrine-disrupting properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of eggs of Audouin's gull (Larus audouinii) and yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) as biomonitors of phthalate exposure.

Distribution and habitat use by the Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii) in anthropized environments.

Human activities provide wildlife with highly abundant and predictable food subsidies, which can affect population dynamics and have wide-ranging ecological impacts. A key ecological question is how species adapt their foraging behaviour to capitalize on these new feeding opportunities. We investigate habitat use by Audouin's Gulls (Ichthyaetus audouinii) off the Western Mediterranean Sea, an opportunistic seabird that has recently expanded to diverse breeding colonies subjected to varying degrees of human influence.

Drivers of resource allocation for breeding under variable environments in a bet hedger.

The evolutionary theory of life histories predicts that there is a trade-off between survival and reproduction: since adult survival in long-lived organisms is high, then breeding investment is more variable and more dependent on conditions (e.g. food availability and individual experience).

Target and untargeted screening of perfluoroalkyl substances in biota using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are known to bioaccumulate and trigger adverse effects in marine birds. This study develops an extraction and analytical methodology for the target/untargeted analysis of PFAS in eggs of Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) and Audouin's gull (Larus audouinii) and blood of Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), which are used as bioindicators of organic chemical pollution. Samples were extracted by ultrasonication with acetonitrile and cleaned-up with activated carbon, and analysis was performed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-Q-TOF) with negative electrospray ionization.