Efecto de la edad y la localidad en la concentración de cadmio y cobre en el hígado de la gaviota dominicana Larus dominicanus

we analyzed cu and cd liver concentration in adults and fledglings of kelp gull from an urban (coquimbo city) and a wild (pájaros islet) colony. cu concentration was 15.57 ± 0.079 μg g-1 dry weight for adults and fledglings of both colonies. adults cd concentration from both colonies was 9.72 ± 0.110 μg g-1 dw, being 194% of the level considered toxic but in the range for seabirds. in the urban fledglings cd was below the detection level. wild fledgling showed higher concentration of 1.54 ± 0.064 μg g-1 dw which probably reflects a biomagnification process, because parents kleptoparasite and consume eggs and chicks of other seabirds.