Trace metal cocktails in birds: physiological and transgenerational effects – TRAMET

Anthropogenic activities generate a stress for wildlife and have negative effects on animals’ health. However, with correlative studies in the wild it is a challenge to disentangle between the effects of different pollutants. Laboratory studies are needed to reveal causal relationships. Yet, for trace metal pollution, laboratory studies rarely take into account the complexity of cocktails typically found in the wild. My first goal is to study how a cocktail of trace metals at ecologically relevant concentrations for an urban area affect the physiology and behaviour of a bird species. We also lack studies on the consequences of trace metal pollution for offspring. My second objective is to study maternal transfer of trace metals and antioxidants to the eggs and to the offspring. In particular, I will investigate the effects on offspring growth and reproduction on several generations to test whether parents can pre-adapt their offspring to better cope with trace metal pollution later in life.