From mother to egg: Variability in maternal transfer of trace elements and steroid hormones in common eider (Somateria mollissima)

The Baltic Sea is among the most polluted seas worldwide with elevated concentrations of trace elements (TEs). TEs can induce negative effects on organisms and may be transferred to eggs causing endocrine-disrupting effects on embryos. The Baltic Sea population of common eider ( Somateria mollissima ) has declined over the last thirty years, but the potential contribution of TEs to this decline is understudied. The aim of this study was to assess maternal transfer of TEs during the incubation period. Associations between TEs and steroid hormone concentrations in eggs (androstenedione, testosterone, pregnenolone and progesterone) were also investigated. Ten nests from Bengtskär (Finland) were monitored, for which hens at the beginning and end of the egg-laying were blood-sampled and their clutches were collected. Red blood cells from females ( n = 10) and homogenized eggs ( n = 44) were analyzed for 10 TEs (As, Ca, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mg, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn). Maternal and egg concentrations were correlated for Cu, Hg and Se (R 2 = 0.51, R 2 = 0.51, R 2 = 0.52, respectively and all p -values ≤0.01). Three eggs had the highest Pb concentrations (1.43–2.24 μg g −1 ww) ever reported for this species. Although maternal and egg Pb concentrations were not significantly correlated, those eggs were laid by the same female, also having the highest Pb concentration (3.4 μg g −1 ww). Most blood TE concentrations in females were below known toxicity limits, except for Pb where 20 % of 10 females (including one outlier) had concentrations above the toxicity limit reported for subclinical poisoning in Anatini (> 0.2 μg g −1 ww). Steroid hormones in eggs were interrelated, but not correlated to TEs. Overall, the results call for more urgent research into the origin and consequences of high Pb concentrations and continued monitoring of the common eider populations in the Baltic Sea. • Ten trace elements from laying common eider hens and eggs were studied in Finland. • Maternal and egg concentrations of Cu, Hg and Se were correlated. • Except for Pb, concentrations were below toxicity thresholds. • Egg Pb concentration was the highest reported in this species. • Egg steroid hormones were not associated with trace elements.