About the project
Different pollutants can cause damages to the DNA in different organisms, but this correlation is poorly documented for different groups of animals. The Comet-analysis can be used to study damaged DNA. The previous years the Toxicology team at the Department of biosciences have refined this technique so that it is adjusted to use in birds. The herring gull is a bird that is included in the surveillance program of urban fjords carried out in the Oslo fjord.
Objectives
In this study we propose to carry out comet analysis of the herring gull in order to see if there is any correlation between DNA-damage and the level of different pollutants. This will be carried out along different gradients of urban influence.
Outcomes
The results of this project will be reported to the Norwegian Environment Agency.
Cooperation
NINA