Mesopelagic diet as pathway of high mercury levels in body feathers of the endangered Black-capped Petrel (Diablotin) Pterodroma hasitata

Abstract

The Diablotin or Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata is an endangered gadfly petrel found in the western North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and northern Gulf of Mexico. An estimated ~2000 pairs nest at five known sites on Hispaniola, Greater Antilles, although only 120 nests have been located to date. We collected breast feathers and feces from breeding adults in the Dominican Republic in April 2018 (n = 10) and from non-breeding adults at sea offshore of North Carolina, USA, in May 2019 (n = 10). We measured mercury burden in feathers and used fecal DNA metabarcoding to compare diets. We found higher concentrations of total mercury compared to other Pterodroma petrels worldwide, with mean concentrations of 30.3 ± 11.1 ppm dry weight (range: 15.2-53.9; n = 20). Diet was dominated by fish, including a high proportion of mesopelagic groups such as myctophids, as well as fishes of interest to artisanal and commercial Caribbean fisheries. These results confirm earlier suggestions of elevated ingestion of mercury by Black-capped Petrels, likely through the consumption of mesopelagic prey or fishery discards.