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Zabala J, Rodríguez-Jorquera I, Trexler JC, Orzechowski S, Garner L, Frederick P. Accounting for food availability reveals contaminant-induced breeding impairment, food-modulated contaminant effects, and endpoint-specificity of exposure indicators in free ranging avian populations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 791:148322. [PMID: 34412380 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
It remains unclear how sub-lethal effects of contaminants play out in relation to other stressors encountered by free-ranging populations. Effects may be masked or influenced by interactions with field stressors such as food availability. We predicted that (1) including food availability, and particularly its interaction with Hg, would reveal or enhance associations between Hg and breeding endpoints. We further predicted that (2) breeding impairment associated with Hg would be higher under food stress conditions. We monitored Hg and nest success of great egrets (Ardea alba) in eight breeding colonies in the Florida Everglades over 11 years. We characterized variation in local food availability among colonies and years using fish biomass and recession range -a proxy to fish vulnerability. We used two Hg exposure indicators (egg albumen Hg and nestling feather Hg) and six breeding endpoints (clutch-size, brood-size, fledged-size, hatching success, post-hatching success and fledglings per egg) to assess whether variation in food availability influenced associations between Hg and these endpoints. Accounting for interactions between Hg and food availability, we identified statistically significant associations in all 12 indicator-endpoint combinations, while only three were detectable without food. Further, 10 combinations showed interactions between Hg and components of food availability. Our results also indicated an endpoint-specific affinity, with albumen [Hg] explaining more variation in hatching success while nestling feather [Hg] explained more variation in post-hatching survival. Both Hg indicators accounted for relevant (6-10%) amounts of variation in fledglings produced per egg laid, an integrative endpoint. Increased Hg exposure resulted in overall reduced reproductive success when food availability was low, but our models predicted low or no effects of increasing Hg exposure when food availability was high. Our results indicate that Hg induced impairment is strongly driven by food availability, providing a framework that accommodates previously contradictory results in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jabi Zabala
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, C/Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Araba, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Ignacio Rodríguez-Jorquera
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Centro de Humedales Río Cruces (CEHUM), Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Joel C Trexler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; Coastal & Marine laboratory, Florida State University, St. Teresa, FL, USA
| | - Sophie Orzechowski
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lindsey Garner
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Peter Frederick
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Herring G, Eagles‐Smith CA, Buck JA, Shiel AE, Vennum CR, Emery C, Johnson B, Leal D, Heath JA, Dudek BM, Preston CR, Woodbridge B. The lead (Pb) lining of agriculture‐related subsidies: enhanced Golden Eagle growth rates tempered by Pb exposure. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Garth Herring
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Collin A. Eagles‐Smith
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Jeremy A. Buck
- Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland Oregon 97266 USA
| | - Alyssa E. Shiel
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | | | - Colleen Emery
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Branden Johnson
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - David Leal
- Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Portland Oregon 97266 USA
| | | | | | - Charles R. Preston
- Draper Natural History Museum, Buffalo Bill Center of the West Cody Wyoming 82414 USA
| | - Brian Woodbridge
- Division of Migratory Bird Management U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Corvallis Oregon 97330 USA
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Zabala J, Rodriguez-Jorquera IA, Orzechowski SC, Frederick P. Non-lethal sampling of avian indicators reveals reliable geographic signals of mercury despite highly dynamic patterns of exposure in a large wetland. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 247:577-585. [PMID: 30708320 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.01.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mercury is a global contaminant with special relevance for aquatic food webs, where biomagnification can result in strong effects on apex predators. Non-lethal sampling of tissues such as blood and feathers is often used to assess mercury risk and spatiotemporal variability of mercury exposure on avian populations. However, the assumption that samples from individuals within a population are representative of local mercury exposure underpins those approaches. While this assumption may be justified, it is rarely expressed quantitatively. Further, the stability of the tissue/exposure relationship over time or space may depend on the sampling medium used, since some tissues and age classes may be better at reflecting local or short-term changes in exposure. Here, we present analyses of mercury concentrations from three tissues (albumen, blood and feathers) of the same individual great egret (Ardea alba) nestlings from breeding colonies in the Florida Everglades collected over three consecutive years. The interaction of year and colony location explained at least 50% of the observed variation in mercury concentration in all the sampled tissues. Annual colony-wide average Hg concentrations in any of the sampled tissues correlated with average Hg concentrations in the other two tissues from the same colony (R2 > 0.53 in every case), while concentrations in albumen, blood and feathers from the same individual correlated poorly (R2 < 0.23 in every case). We suggest that despite high variation between and within individuals of the same colony, annual colony-averaged mercury concentrations in albumen, nestling blood or feathers can be representative indicators of annual geographic differences in mercury exposure. These results support the use of non-lethal sampling of nestling tissues to reflect local mercury exposure over large spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jabi Zabala
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Ignacio A Rodriguez-Jorquera
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; Centro de Humedales Río Cruces (CEHUM), Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Sophia C Orzechowski
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Peter Frederick
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
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Zabala J, Rodriguez-Jorquera IA, Orzechowski SC, Frederick P. Mercury Concentration in Nestling Feathers Better Predicts Individual Reproductive Success than Egg or Nestling Blood in a Piscivorous Bird. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:1150-1156. [PMID: 30626179 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b05424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Piscivorous birds are at high risk of mercury exposure in aquatic food webs, and their reproductive success is sensitive to methylmercury exposure. Although effects are convincingly shown in a handful of lab studies, sublethal effects at environmentally relevant concentrations in the field, where there is a range of other natural stressors, are not well delineated. Part of that uncertainty arises because mercury concentration (hereafter, [Hg]) in adult tissues used to assess Hg risk can be influenced by Hg values in wintering grounds or other nonrelated areas. Several studies have used nestling tissues under the assumption that they better represent local risk to breeding since nestlings consume locally derived food. However, the correlation between [Hg] in nestling tissues and local breeding success remains unassessed. We analyzed great egret ( Ardea alba) breeding parameters collected over 3 years (2015-2017) in the Everglades (Florida, USA). The Everglades is a large contiguous wetland with geographically dispersed wading bird breeding sites exposed to variable and biologically relevant ranges of mercury concentrations. We examined mercury concentrations in albumen and nestling blood and feathers as predictors of 6 measures of reproductive success at individual nests. Albumen [Hg] did not correlate with reproductive end points, and correlations with blood [Hg] were weak. Feather [Hg] correlated negatively with all of the posthatching endpoints and explained 8.3% of the variance in the probability of a laid egg resulting in a fledged chick. However, most of the observed failures were hatching failures, which were not explained by albumen [Hg], and other nestling tissues could therefore not be evaluated. While our results support the use of nestling feathers as indicators of site-specific mercury exposure, we discuss both advantages and possible limitations of using nestling feathers as indicators of local mercury exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jabi Zabala
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , University of Florida , Gainesville , Florida 32611 , United States
| | - Ignacio A Rodriguez-Jorquera
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , University of Florida , Gainesville , Florida 32611 , United States
- Centro de Humedales Río Cruces (CEHUM) , Universidad Austral de Chile , Valdivia , Chile
| | - Sophia C Orzechowski
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , University of Florida , Gainesville , Florida 32611 , United States
| | - Peter Frederick
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation , University of Florida , Gainesville , Florida 32611 , United States
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Eagles-Smith CA, Silbergeld EK, Basu N, Bustamante P, Diaz-Barriga F, Hopkins WA, Kidd KA, Nyland JF. Modulators of mercury risk to wildlife and humans in the context of rapid global change. AMBIO 2018; 47:170-197. [PMID: 29388128 PMCID: PMC5794686 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-017-1011-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination is an urgent global health threat. The complexity of Hg in the environment can hinder accurate determination of ecological and human health risks, particularly within the context of the rapid global changes that are altering many ecological processes, socioeconomic patterns, and other factors like infectious disease incidence, which can affect Hg exposures and health outcomes. However, the success of global Hg-reduction efforts depends on accurate assessments of their effectiveness in reducing health risks. In this paper, we examine the role that key extrinsic and intrinsic drivers play on several aspects of Hg risk to humans and organisms in the environment. We do so within three key domains of ecological and human health risk. First, we examine how extrinsic global change drivers influence pathways of Hg bioaccumulation and biomagnification through food webs. Next, we describe how extrinsic socioeconomic drivers at a global scale, and intrinsic individual-level drivers, influence human Hg exposure. Finally, we address how the adverse health effects of Hg in humans and wildlife are modulated by a range of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers within the context of rapid global change. Incorporating components of these three domains into research and monitoring will facilitate a more holistic understanding of how ecological and societal drivers interact to influence Hg health risks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ellen K. Silbergeld
- Johns Hopkin Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E6644, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Niladri Basu
- McGill University, 204-CINE Building, Montreal, QC H9X 3V9 Canada
| | - Paco Bustamante
- University of La Rochelle, laboratory of Littoral Environment and Societies, Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), LIENSs UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Fernando Diaz-Barriga
- Center for Applied Research in Environment and Health at, Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi, Avenida Venustiano Carranza No. 2405, Col Lomas los Filtros Código Postal, 78214 San Luis Potosí, SLP Mexico
| | - William A. Hopkins
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, 310 West Campus Drive Virginia Tech, Cheatham Hall, Room 106 (MC 0321), Blacksburg, VA 24061 USA
| | - Karen A. Kidd
- Department of Biology & School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street W., Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1 Canada
| | - Jennifer F. Nyland
- Department of Biological Sciences, 1101 Camden Ave, Salisbury, MD 21801 USA
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Bryan AL, Snodgrass JW, Brant HA, Romanek CS, Jagoe CH, Mills GL, Brisbin IL. Precipitation influences on uptake of a global pollutant by a coastal avian species. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2014; 33:2711-2715. [PMID: 25242147 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/14/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Climatic variation, including precipitation amounts and timing, has been linked to abundance and breeding success of many avian species. Less studied, but also of significance, is the consequence of climatic variability on the exposure and uptake of nutrients and contaminants by wildlife. The authors examined mercury (Hg) concentrations in nestling wood stork feathers in a coastal setting over a 16-yr period to understand the influence of rainfall amounts on Hg transfer by parental provisioning relative to habitat use, assuming differential bioavailability of Hg within freshwater and saltwater habitat types. Coastal Hg uptake by stork nestlings was linked to freshwater habitat use, as indicated by stable carbon isotope (δ(13)C) analyses. Cumulative rainfall amounts exceeding 220 cm in the 23 mo preceding the breeding seasons resulted in greater use of freshwater wetlands as foraging habitat and greater Hg accumulation by nestling storks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert L Bryan
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
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Herring G, Eagles-Smith CA, Gawlik DE, Beerens JM, Ackerman JT. Physiological condition of juvenile wading birds in relation to multiple landscape stressors in the Florida Everglades: effects of hydrology, prey availability, and mercury bioaccumulation. PLoS One 2014; 9:e106447. [PMID: 25184221 PMCID: PMC4153589 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The physiological condition of juvenile birds can be influenced by multiple ecological stressors, and few studies have concurrently considered the effects of environmental contaminants in combination with ecological attributes that can influence foraging conditions and prey availability. Using three temporally distinct indices of physiological condition, we compared the physiological response of nestling great egrets (Ardea alba) and white ibises (Eudocimus albus) to changing prey availability, hydrology (water depth, recession rate), and mercury exposure in the Florida Everglades. We found that the physiological response of chicks varied between species and among environmental variables. Chick body condition (short-term index) and fecal corticosterone levels (medium-term) were influenced by wetland water depth, prey availability, region, and age, but not by mercury contamination. However, mercury exposure did influence heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in egret chicks, indicating a longer-term physiological response to contamination. Our results indicate that the physiological condition of egret and ibis chicks were influenced by several environmental stressors, and the time frame of the effect may depend on the specialized foraging behavior of the adults provisioning the chicks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garth Herring
- United States Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Collin A. Eagles-Smith
- United States Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Dale E. Gawlik
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, United States of America
| | - James M. Beerens
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, United States of America
| | - Joshua T. Ackerman
- United States Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, California, United States of America
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Zhang H, Moffett KB, Windham-Myers L, Gorelick SM. Hydrological controls on methylmercury distribution and flux in a tidal marsh. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:6795-6804. [PMID: 24828335 DOI: 10.1021/es500781g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The San Francisco Estuary, California, contains mercury (Hg) contamination originating from historical regional gold and Hg mining operations. We measured hydrological and geochemical variables in a tidal marsh of the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve to determine the sources, location, and magnitude of hydrological fluxes of methylmercury (MeHg), a bioavailable Hg species of ecological and health concern. Based on measured concentrations and detailed finite-element simulation of coupled surface water and saturated-unsaturated groundwater flow, we found pore water MeHg was concentrated in unsaturated pockets that persisted over tidal cycles. These pockets, occurring over 16% of the marsh plain area, corresponded to the marsh root zone. Groundwater discharge (e.g., exfiltration) to the tidal channel represented a significant source of MeHg during low tide. We found that nonchannelized flow accounted for up to 20% of the MeHg flux to the estuary. The estimated net flux of filter-passing (0.45 μm) MeHg toward estuary was 10 ± 5 ng m(-2) day(-1) during a single 12-h tidal cycle, suggesting an annual MeHg load of 1.17 ± 0.58 kg when the estimated flux was applied to present tidal marshes and planned marsh restorations throughout the San Francisco Estuary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Zhang
- Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305-2115, United States
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Meyer E, Eagles-Smith CA, Sparling D, Blumenshine S. Mercury exposure associated with altered plasma thyroid hormones in the declining western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) from California mountain streams. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:2989-2996. [PMID: 24559486 DOI: 10.1021/es4050538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a global threat to wildlife health that can impair many physiological processes. Mercury has well-documented endocrine activity; however, little work on the effects of Hg on the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in aquatic wildlife exists despite the fact that it is a sensitive endpoint of contaminant exposure. An emerging body of evidence points to the toxicological susceptibility of aquatic reptiles to Hg exposure. We examined the endocrine disrupting potential of Hg in the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata), a long-lived reptile that is in decline throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. We measured total Hg (THg) concentrations in red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma T3 and T4 of turtles from several locations in California that have been impacted by historic gold mining. Across all turtles from all sites, the geometric mean and standard error THg concentration was 0.805 ± 0.025 μg/g dry weight. Sampling region and mass were the strongest determinants of RBC THg. Relationships between RBC THg and T3 and T4 were consistent with Hg-induced disruption of T4 deiodination, a mechanism of toxicity that may cause excess T4 levels and depressed concentrations of biologically active T3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Meyer
- Department of Biology, California State University, Fresno , 2555 East San Ramon Avenue, Fresno, California 93740, United States
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