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Sayers CJ, Evers DC, Ruiz-Gutierrez V, Adams E, Vega CM, Pisconte JN, Tejeda V, Regan K, Lane OP, Ash AA, Cal R, Reneau S, Martínez W, Welch G, Hartwell K, Teul M, Tzul D, Arendt WJ, Tórrez MA, Watsa M, Erkenswick G, Moore CE, Gerson J, Sánchez V, Purizaca RP, Yurek H, Burton MEH, Shrum PL, Tabares-Segovia S, Vargas K, Fogarty FF, Charette MR, Martínez AE, Bernhardt ES, Taylor RJ, Tear TH, Fernandez LE. Mercury in Neotropical birds: a synthesis and prospectus on 13 years of exposure data. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 32:1096-1123. [PMID: 37907784 PMCID: PMC10622370 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02706-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination of the global tropics outpaces our understanding of its consequences for biodiversity. Knowledge gaps of pollution exposure could obscure conservation threats in the Neotropics: a region that supports over half of the world's species, but faces ongoing land-use change and Hg emission via artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Due to their global distribution and sensitivity to pollution, birds provide a valuable opportunity as bioindicators to assess how accelerating Hg emissions impact an ecosystem's ability to support biodiversity, and ultimately, global health. We present the largest database on Neotropical bird Hg concentrations (n = 2316) and establish exposure baselines for 322 bird species spanning nine countries across Central America, South America, and the West Indies. Patterns of avian Hg exposure in the Neotropics broadly align with those in temperate regions: consistent bioaccumulation across functional groups and high spatiotemporal variation. Bird species occupying higher trophic positions and aquatic habitats exhibited elevated Hg concentrations that have been previously associated with reductions in reproductive success. Notably, bird Hg concentrations were over four times higher at sites impacted by ASGM activities and differed by season for certain trophic niches. We developed this synthesis via a collaborative research network, the Tropical Research for Avian Conservation and Ecotoxicology (TRACE) Initiative, which exemplifies inclusive, equitable, and international data-sharing. While our findings signal an urgent need to assess sampling biases, mechanisms, and consequences of Hg exposure to tropical avian communities, the TRACE Initiative provides a meaningful framework to achieve such goals. Ultimately, our collective efforts support and inform local, scientific, and government entities, including Parties of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury, as we continue working together to understand how Hg pollution impacts biodiversity conservation, ecosystem function, and public health in the tropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Sayers
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Peru.
| | - David C Evers
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | | | - Evan Adams
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Claudia M Vega
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Peru
- Department of Biology, Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27106, USA
| | - Jessica N Pisconte
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Peru
| | - Vania Tejeda
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Peru
| | - Kevin Regan
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Oksana P Lane
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Abidas A Ash
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Belize, Price Center Road, P.O. Box 340, Belmopan, Cayo District, Belize
| | - Reynold Cal
- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Tropical Education Center, 28 George Price Highway, P.O. Box 368, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize
| | - Stevan Reneau
- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Tropical Education Center, 28 George Price Highway, P.O. Box 368, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize
| | - Wilber Martínez
- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Tropical Education Center, 28 George Price Highway, P.O. Box 368, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize
| | - Gilroy Welch
- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Tropical Education Center, 28 George Price Highway, P.O. Box 368, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize
| | - Kayla Hartwell
- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Tropical Education Center, 28 George Price Highway, P.O. Box 368, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize
| | - Mario Teul
- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Tropical Education Center, 28 George Price Highway, P.O. Box 368, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize
| | - David Tzul
- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Tropical Education Center, 28 George Price Highway, P.O. Box 368, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize
| | - Wayne J Arendt
- International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, 1201 Calle Ceiba, Jardín Botánico Sur, San Juan, 00926-1119, Puerto Rico
| | - Marvin A Tórrez
- Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Centroamericana, Managua, Nicaragua
| | - Mrinalini Watsa
- Beckman Center for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, P.O. Box 120551, San Diego, CA, 92112, USA
- Field Projects International, Escondido, CA, 92029, USA
| | | | - Caroline E Moore
- Beckman Center for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, P.O. Box 120551, San Diego, CA, 92112, USA
| | - Jacqueline Gerson
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Victor Sánchez
- Instituto de Investigación en Ecología y Conservación, Trujillo, Peru
| | - Raúl Pérez Purizaca
- Universidad Nacional de Piura, Urb. Miraflores S/N, Castilla, 20002, Piura, Peru
| | - Helen Yurek
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Mark E H Burton
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Peggy L Shrum
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | | | - Korik Vargas
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Finola F Fogarty
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society, 27.5 Miles Hummingbird Hwy, Stann Creek, Belize
| | - Mathieu R Charette
- Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society, 27.5 Miles Hummingbird Hwy, Stann Creek, Belize
| | - Ari E Martínez
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | | | - Robert J Taylor
- Department of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Timothy H Tear
- Center for Mercury Studies, Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Luis E Fernandez
- Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Peru
- Department of Biology, Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27106, USA
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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2
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Cusset F, Reynolds SJ, Carravieri A, Amouroux D, Asensio O, Dickey RC, Fort J, Hughes BJ, Paiva VH, Ramos JA, Shearer L, Tessier E, Wearn CP, Cherel Y, Bustamante P. A century of mercury: Ecosystem-wide changes drive increasing contamination of a tropical seabird species in the South Atlantic Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 323:121187. [PMID: 36736563 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic metal that adversely impacts human and wildlife health. The amount of Hg released globally in the environment has increased steadily since the Industrial Revolution, resulting in growing contamination in biota. Seabirds have been extensively studied to monitor Hg contamination in the world's oceans. Multidecadal increases in seabird Hg contamination have been documented in polar, temperate and subtropical regions, whereas in tropical regions they are largely unknown. Since seabirds accumulate Hg mainly from their diet, their trophic ecology is fundamental in understanding their Hg exposure over time. Here, we used the sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus), the most abundant tropical seabird, as bioindicator of temporal variations in Hg transfer to marine predators in tropical ecosystems, in response to trophic changes and other potential drivers. Body feathers were sampled from 220 sooty terns, from museum specimens (n = 134) and free-living birds (n = 86) from Ascension Island, in the South Atlantic Ocean, over 145 years (1876-2021). Chemical analyses included (i) total- and methyl-Hg, and (ii) carbon (δ1³C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes, as proxies of foraging habitat and trophic position, respectively, to investigate the relationship between trophic ecology and Hg contamination over time. Despite current regulations on its global emissions, mean Hg concentrations were 58.9% higher in the 2020s (2.0 μg g-1, n = 34) than in the 1920s (1.2 μg g-1, n = 107). Feather Hg concentrations were negatively and positively associated with δ1³C and δ15N values, respectively. The sharp decline of 2.9 ‰ in δ1³C values over time indicates ecosystem-wide changes (shifting primary productivity) in the tropical South Atlantic Ocean and can help explain the observed increase in terns' feather Hg concentrations. Overall, this study provides invaluable information on how ecosystem-wide changes can increase Hg contamination of tropical marine predators and reinforces the need for long-term regulations of harmful contaminants at the global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Cusset
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France; Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en Bois, France.
| | - S James Reynolds
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK; Army Ornithological Society (AOS), c/o Prince Consort Library, Knollys Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
| | - Alice Carravieri
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France; Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en Bois, France
| | - David Amouroux
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), UMR, 5254, CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Pau, France
| | - Océane Asensio
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), UMR, 5254, CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Pau, France
| | - Roger C Dickey
- Army Ornithological Society (AOS), c/o Prince Consort Library, Knollys Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
| | - Jérôme Fort
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - B John Hughes
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK; Army Ornithological Society (AOS), c/o Prince Consort Library, Knollys Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
| | - Vitor H Paiva
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jaime A Ramos
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Laura Shearer
- Ascension Island Government Conservation and Fisheries Directorate (AIGCFD), Georgetown, Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, UK
| | - Emmanuel Tessier
- Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), UMR, 5254, CNRS, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Pau, France
| | - Colin P Wearn
- The Royal Air Force Ornithological Society (RAFOS), High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK
| | - Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 79360, Villiers-en Bois, France
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 Rue Descartes, 75005 Paris, France
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3
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Li Y, Hopkins AJM, Davis RA. Going, Going, Gone The Diminishing Capacity of Museum Specimen Collections to Address Global Change Research: A Case Study on Urban Reptiles. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061078. [PMID: 36978619 PMCID: PMC10044672 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been increasingly popular to use natural history specimens to examine environmental changes. As the current functionality of museum specimens has extended beyond their traditional taxonomic role, there has been a renewed focus on the completeness of biological collections to provide data for current and future research. We used the collections of the Western Australian Museum to answer questions about the change in occurrence of five common reptile species due to the rapid urbanization of Perth. We recorded a significant decline in collection effort from the year 2000 onwards (F = 7.65, p < 0.01) compared to the period 1990–1999. Spatial analysis revealed that only 0.5% of our study region was well sampled, 8.5% were moderately sampled and the majority of the regions (91%) were poorly sampled. By analysing the trend of specimen acquisition from 1950 to 2010, we discovered a significant inconsistency in specimen sampling effort for 13 common reptile species across time and space. A large proportion of past specimens lacked information including the place and time of collection. An increase in investment to museums and an increase in geographically and temporally systematic collecting is advocated to ensure that collections can answer questions about environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanlin Li
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
| | - Anna J. M. Hopkins
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
| | - Robert A. Davis
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australia Museum, 49 Kew St, Welshpool, WA 6106, Australia
- Correspondence:
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4
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Pollet IL, McFarlane-Tranquilla L, Burgess NM, Diamond AW, Gjerdrum C, Hedd A, Hoeg R, Jones PL, Mauck RA, Montevecchi WA, Pratte I, Ronconi RA, Shutler D, Wilhelm SI, Mallory ML. Factors influencing mercury levels in Leach's storm-petrels at northwest Atlantic colonies. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160464. [PMID: 36427741 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160464] [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: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed heavy metal, with negative effects on wildlife. Its most toxic form, methylmercury (MeHg), predominates in aquatic systems. Levels of MeHg in marine predators can vary widely among individuals and populations. Leach's storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous) have elevated levels of Hg but the role of Hg in storm-petrel population declines is unknown. In this study, we used egg and blood samples to study variation in Hg exposure among several northwest Atlantic colonies during breeding seasons, thereby evaluating relative toxicity risk within and among colonies. Total mercury (THg) concentrations were higher with increasing colony latitude, and were more pronounced in blood than in eggs. THg concentrations in blood were mostly associated with low toxicity risk in birds from the southern colonies and moderate risks in birds from the northern colonies; however, those values did not affect hatching or fledging success. THg concentrations in both eggs and blood were positively correlated with δ34S, emphasizing the role of sulfate-reducing bacteria in methylation of THg acquired through marine food webs, which is consistent with enriched δ34S profiles. By associating tracking data from foraging trips with THg from blood, we determined that blood THg levels were higher when storm-petrel's intensive search locations were over deeper waters. We conclude that spatial variation in THg concentrations in Leach's storm-petrels is attributable to differences in ocean depth at foraging locations, both at individual and colony levels. Differences in diet among colonies observed previously are the most likely cause for observed blood THg differences. As one of the few pelagic seabird species breeding in Atlantic Canada, with limited overlap in core foraging areas among colonies, Leach's storm-petrels can be used as biomonitors for less sampled offshore pelagic regions. The global trend in Hg emissions combined with legacy levels warrant continued monitoring for toxicity effects in seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid L Pollet
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada; Birds Canada, PO Box 6436, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1G6, Canada.
| | | | - Neil M Burgess
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Antony W Diamond
- Atlantic Laboratory for Avian Research, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Carina Gjerdrum
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 45 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6, Canada
| | - April Hedd
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Rielle Hoeg
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada; Birds Canada, PO Box 6436, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1G6, Canada
| | | | | | - William A Montevecchi
- Psychology Department, Memorial University, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1C 3C9, Canada
| | - Isabeau Pratte
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 45 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6, Canada
| | - Robert A Ronconi
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 45 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 2N6, Canada
| | - Dave Shutler
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Sabina I Wilhelm
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Mark L Mallory
- Acadia University, Department of Biology, Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6, Canada
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Lepak RF, Janssen SE, Ogorek JM, Dillman CB, Hoffman JC, Tate MT, McIntyre PB. Can preserved museum specimens be used to reconstruct fish mercury burden and sources through time? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS 2023; 10:165-171. [PMID: 38357329 PMCID: PMC10866153 DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
To evaluate the utility of preserved fishes for reconstructing historical and spatial patterns of mercury (Hg) exposure, we experimentally tested the stability of Hg concentrations and Hg stable isotope ratios under standard museum practices of specimen preservation. We found that loss of unidentified constituents during preservation increased Hg concentrations in fish muscle. Low-Hg fish reared in the laboratory were susceptible to exogenous contamination with inorganic mercury (iHg) when preservative fluids were intentionally spiked or iHg leached passively from contaminated wild fishes in the same container. This contamination impacted Hg isotope values of total Hg, but the conservative nature of methylmercury allows us to quantitatively correct for iHg contamination. Our findings validate the potential to use fishes from the world's museums to generate spatiotemporal baselines for the Minamata Convention on Mercury, but we recommend a set of precautions to maximize inference strength. Selecting the largest specimens of a target species helps dilute any iHg contamination. Specimens should be drawn from lots that were not comingled with fishes from other collections to minimize risk of iHg transfer among fish with different contamination histories. Finally, focusing on low-lipid species will enhance the comparability of Hg concentrations between historical and contemporary collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan F. Lepak
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Blvd, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
| | - Sarah E. Janssen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, USGS Mercury Research Laboratory, 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726, USA
| | - Jacob M. Ogorek
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, USGS Mercury Research Laboratory, 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726, USA
| | - Casey B. Dillman
- Museum of Vertebrates, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, E145 Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Joel C. Hoffman
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Blvd, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
| | - Michael T. Tate
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, USGS Mercury Research Laboratory, 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, WI 53726, USA
| | - Peter B. McIntyre
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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6
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Choy ES, Blight LK, Elliott JE, Hobson KA, Zanuttig M, Elliott KH. Stable Mercury Trends Support a Long-Term Diet Shift Away from Marine Foraging in Salish Sea Glaucous-Winged Gulls over the Last Century. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:12097-12105. [PMID: 35946869 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Marine predators are monitored as indicators of pollution, but such trends can be complicated by variation in diet. Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) have experienced a dietary shift over the past century, from mainly marine to including more terrestrial/freshwater inputs, with unknown impacts on mercury (Hg) trends. We examined 109-year trends in total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in glaucous-winged gull feathers (1887-1996) from the Salish Sea. Adult flank feathers had higher MeHg concentrations than immature feathers, and males head feathers had higher THg concentrations than females. Overall, we found no evidence of a trend in feather MeHg or THg concentrations over time from 1887 to 1996. In the same individuals, δ15N, δ13C, and δ34S declined over time in gull feathers. In comparison, egg THg concentrations declined from 1970 to 2019 in two species of cormorants, likely reflecting decreases in local Hg sources. We conclude that diet shifts through time may have countered increased Hg deposition from long-range transport in glaucous-winged gulls. The lack of Hg trends over time in glaucous-winged gull feathers provides additional support that these gulls have decreased the amount of marine forage fish in their diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily S Choy
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Louise K Blight
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
- Procellaria Research & Consulting, Victoria, British Columbia V9A 5C3, Canada
| | - John E Elliott
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Delta, British Columbia V4K 3N2, Canada
| | - Keith A Hobson
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A5B7, Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 3H5, Canada
| | - Michelle Zanuttig
- National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
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7
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Pollet IL, Provencher JF, McFarlane Tranquilla L, Burgess NM, Mallory ML. Mercury levels in North Atlantic seabirds: A synthesis. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 181:113884. [PMID: 35809474 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113884] [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: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is globally-distributed, with severe toxic effects on wildlife. Methylmercury biomagnifies within food webs, so long-lived, top predators such as seabirds are prone to high mercury concentrations. We synthesized historical and contemporary data on mercury concentrations in seabirds from the North Atlantic. We collected 614 values determined from 39 species and 115 locations, ranging from 1895 to 1940 and from 1970 to 2020. Highest blood-equivalent Hg values were in Phalacrocoracidae. For the same species/tissue/collection site, blood-equivalent values were lower during pre-1940 than post-1970 period. In almost 5 % of post-1970 values, mean blood-equivalent Hg concentrations were above those considered to pose severe risks of adverse effects, and 21 % were above the high-risk effect. We found an imbalance in sample effort and did not find Hg values for many species. We argue that stronger, trans-Atlantic Hg monitoring schemes are required to coordinate research and better compare trends across a wide scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid L Pollet
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada; Birds Canada, 43 Main Street, Sackville, NB E4L 1G6, Canada.
| | - Jennifer F Provencher
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
| | | | - Neil M Burgess
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - Mark L Mallory
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, 33 Westwood Avenue, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
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8
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Le Croizier G, Sonke JE, Lorrain A, Renedo M, Hoyos-Padilla M, Santana-Morales O, Meyer L, Huveneers C, Butcher P, Amezcua-Martinez F, Point D. Foraging plasticity diversifies mercury exposure sources and bioaccumulation patterns in the world's largest predatory fish. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 425:127956. [PMID: 34986563 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Large marine predators exhibit high concentrations of mercury (Hg) as neurotoxic methylmercury, and the potential impacts of global change on Hg contamination in these species remain highly debated. Current contaminant model predictions do not account for intraspecific variability in Hg exposure and may fail to reflect the diversity of future Hg levels among conspecific populations or individuals, especially for top predators displaying a wide range of ecological traits. Here, we used Hg isotopic compositions to show that Hg exposure sources varied significantly between and within three populations of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) with contrasting ecology: the north-eastern Pacific, eastern Australasian, and south-western Australasian populations. Through Δ200Hg signatures in shark tissues, we found that atmospheric Hg deposition pathways to the marine environment differed between coastal and offshore habitats. Discrepancies in δ202Hg and Δ199Hg signatures among white sharks provided evidence for intraspecific exposure to distinct sources of marine methylmercury, attributed to population and ontogenetic shifts in foraging habitat and prey composition. We finally observed a strong divergence in Hg accumulation rates between populations, leading to three times higher Hg concentrations in large Australasian sharks compared to north-eastern Pacific sharks, and likely due to different trophic strategies adopted by adult sharks across populations. This study illustrates the variety of Hg exposure sources and bioaccumulation patterns that can be found within a single species and suggests that intraspecific variability needs to be considered when assessing future trajectories of Hg levels in marine predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaël Le Croizier
- UMR Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées (OMP), 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France; Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Joel Montes Camarena S/N, Mazatlán, Sin 82040, Mexico.
| | - Jeroen E Sonke
- UMR Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées (OMP), 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Anne Lorrain
- Univ Brest, CNRS, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Marina Renedo
- UMR Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées (OMP), 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla
- Pelagios-Kakunjá A.C, Sinaloa 1540, Col. Las Garzas, C.P. 23070 La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico; Fins Attached: Marine Research and Conservation, 19675 Still Glen Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80908, USA
| | | | - Lauren Meyer
- Southern Shark Ecology Group, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia; Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA
| | - Charlie Huveneers
- Southern Shark Ecology Group, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Paul Butcher
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, National Marine Science Centre, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia
| | - Felipe Amezcua-Martinez
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Joel Montes Camarena S/N, Mazatlán, Sin 82040, Mexico
| | - David Point
- UMR Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées (OMP), 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
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9
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Abstract
Natural history collections are invaluable repositories of biological information that provide an unrivaled record of Earth's biodiversity. Museum genomics-genomics research using traditional museum and cryogenic collections and the infrastructure supporting these investigations-has particularly enhanced research in ecology and evolutionary biology, the study of extinct organisms, and the impact of anthropogenic activity on biodiversity. However, leveraging genomics in biological collections has exposed challenges, such as digitizing, integrating, and sharing collections data; updating practices to ensure broadly optimal data extraction from existing and new collections; and modernizing collections practices, infrastructure, and policies to ensure fair, sustainable, and genomically manifold uses of museum collections by increasingly diverse stakeholders. Museum genomics collections are poised to address these challenges and, with increasingly sensitive genomics approaches, will catalyze a future era of reproducibility, innovation, and insight made possible through integrating museum and genome sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daren C Card
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA; .,Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Gonzalo Giribet
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA; .,Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Craig Moritz
- Centre for Biodiversity Analysis and Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA; .,Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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10
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Bank MS, Frantzen S, Duinker A, Amouroux D, Tessier E, Nedreaas K, Maage A, Nilsen BM. Rapid temporal decline of mercury in Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 289:117843. [PMID: 34340180 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) pollution in the ocean is an issue of global concern, however bioaccumulation regimes of this ubiquitous pollutant in marine apex predators have important knowledge gaps. Our fish length and stable isotope (δ15N and δ13C) normalized data of Greenland halibut (GH) (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) showed that Hg bioaccumulation in fillet tissue decreased by ~35-50 %, over a ten-year period from 2006 to 2015 (n = 7 individual sampling years). Hg was predominantly in the methylmercury form (>77 %). Results from a Bayesian information theoretic model showed that GH Hg concentrations decreased with time and its associated declines in Hg air emissions, estimated trophic position, and a potentially lower degree of demersal prey use as indicated by temporal trend shifts in nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) stable isotope values. GH trophic shifts accounted for about one third of the observed temporal reduction in Hg. Our study demonstrates the importance of simultaneously considering Hg emissions, food web dynamics and trophic shifts as important drivers of Hg bioaccumulation in a marine, deep water fish species and highlights the effectiveness of Hg regulations on ocean apex predator Hg concentrations and overall seafood safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Bank
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
| | | | | | - David Amouroux
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physicochimie pour L'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), Pau, France
| | - Emmanuel Tessier
- Universite de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physicochimie pour L'Environnement et Les Matériaux (IPREM), Pau, France
| | | | - Amund Maage
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; University of Bergen, Norway
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11
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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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12
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Xu J, Bland GD, Gu Y, Ziaei H, Xiao X, Deonarine A, Reible D, Bireta P, Hoelen TP, Lowry GV. Impacts of Sediment Particle Grain Size and Mercury Speciation on Mercury Bioavailability Potential. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:12393-12402. [PMID: 34505768 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Particle-specific properties, including size and chemical speciation, affect the reactivity of mercury (Hg) in natural systems (e.g., dissolution or methylation). Here, terrestrial, river, and marine sediments were size-fractionated and characterized to correlate particle-specific properties of Hg-bearing solids with their bioavailability potential and measured biomethylation. Marine sediments contained ∼20-50% of the total Hg in the <0.5 μm size fraction, compared to only 0.5 and 3.0% in this size fraction for terrestrial and river sediments, respectively. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis indicated that metacinnabar (β-HgS) was the main mercury species in a marine sediment, whereas organic Hg-thiol (Hg(SR)2) was the main mercury species in a terrestrial sediment. Single-particle inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of the marine sediment suggests that half of the Hg in the <0.5 μm size fraction existed as individual nanoparticles, which were β-HgS based on XAS analyses. Glutathione-extractable mercury was higher for samples containing Hg(SR)2 species than β-HgS species and correlated well with the amount of Hg biomethylation. This particle-scale understanding of how Hg speciation and particle size affect mercury bioavailability potential helps explain the heterogeneity in Hg methylation in natural sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang Xu
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Garret D Bland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Yuan Gu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Hasti Ziaei
- Department of Civil, Environmental, & Construction Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
| | - Xiaoyue Xiao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Amrika Deonarine
- Department of Civil, Environmental, & Construction Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
| | - Danny Reible
- Department of Civil, Environmental, & Construction Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
| | - Paul Bireta
- Chevron Technical Center (a Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Division), San Ramon, California 94583, United States
| | - Thomas P Hoelen
- Chevron Technical Center (a Chevron U.S.A. Inc. Division), San Ramon, California 94583, United States
| | - Gregory V Lowry
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
- Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
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13
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Haskins DL, Brown MK, Qin C, Xu X, Pilgrim MA, Tuberville TD. Multi-decadal trends in mercury and methylmercury concentrations in the brown watersnake (Nerodia taxispilota). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 276:116722. [PMID: 33640654 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is an environmental contaminant that poses a threat to aquatic systems globally. Temporal evaluations of Hg contamination have increased in recent years, with studies focusing on how anthropogenic activities impact Hg bioavailability in a variety of aquatic systems. While it is common for these studies and ecological risk assessments to evaluate Hg bioaccumulation and effects in wildlife, there is a paucity of information regarding Hg dynamics in reptiles. The goal of this study was to investigate temporal patterns in total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations across a 36-year period, as well as evaluate relationships among and between destructive (kidney, liver, muscle) and non-destructive (blood, tail) tissue types in a common watersnake species. To accomplish this, we measured THg and MeHg concentrations in multiple tissues from brown watersnakes (Nerodia taxispilota) collected from Steel Creek on the Savannah River Site (SRS; Aiken, SC, USA) from two time periods (1983-1986 and 2019). We found significant and positive relationships between tail tips and destructive tissues. In both time periods, THg concentrations varied significantly by tissue type, and destructive tissues exhibited higher but predictable THg values relative to tail tissue. Methylmercury concentrations did not differ among tissues from the 1980s but was significantly higher in muscle compared to other tissues from snakes collected in 2019. Percent MeHg of THg in N. taxispilota tissues mirrored patterns reported in other reptiles, although the range of % MeHg in liver and kidney differed between time periods. Both THg and MeHg concentrations in N. taxispilota declined significantly from the 1980s to 2019, with average values 1.6 to 4-fold lower in contemporary samples. Overall, our data add further evidence to the utility of watersnakes to monitor Hg pollution in aquatic environments and suggest attenuation of this contaminant in watersnakes in our study system.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Haskins
- Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30605, USA; Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30605, USA; Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA.
| | - M Kyle Brown
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30605, USA; Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA
| | - Chongyang Qin
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Xu
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA
| | - Melissa A Pilgrim
- Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, USA
| | - Tracey D Tuberville
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA
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14
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Dzielski SA, Razavi NR, Twining CW, Cleckner LB, Rohwer VG. Reconstructing avian mercury concentrations through time using museum specimens from New York State. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1802-1814. [PMID: 31729602 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02123-0] [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] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We examined how variation in MeHg concentrations through time is reflected in birds, a taxon commonly used as a biological indicator of ecosystem health. Using museum specimens collected from 1880 to 2016, we measured feather MeHg concentrations in six species of birds that breed in New York State and have distinct dietary and habitat preferences. We predicted that MeHg concentrations in feathers would mirror Hg emission patterns in New York State and increase through time until 1980 then decrease thereafter in response to increased regulation of anthropogenic Hg emissions. We found that MeHg concentrations increased with δ15N, and that MeHg feather concentrations for some individuals from four of the six species examined exceeded concentrations known to cause negative sublethal effects in birds. In contrast to our prediction, MeHg concentrations in feathers did not parallel global or local Hg emissions through time and varied by species, even after controlling for possible changes in diet and habitat. MeHg concentrations varied substantially within species and individual specimens, suggesting that high within-individual variation in feather MeHg concentrations caused by spatiotemporal variation in molt, environmental Hg exposure, or mobility decoupling Hg uptake from breeding sites, may obscure trends in MeHg through time. Our study provides a unique assessment of feather MeHg in six species not typically analyzed using this retrospective approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Dzielski
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA.
- Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA.
| | - N Roxanna Razavi
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA
- Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, 14556, USA
| | - Cornelia W Twining
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany
- Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Lisa B Cleckner
- Finger Lakes Institute, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, 14556, USA
| | - Vanya G Rohwer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
- Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
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15
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Sebastiano M, Canestrelli D, Bisconti R, Lavergne A, Pineau K, Chastel O, Lacoste V, Costantini D. Detection and Phylogenetic Characterization of a Novel Herpesvirus in Sooty Terns Onychoprion fuscatus. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:567. [PMID: 33088826 PMCID: PMC7493666 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Since 2005, we have recorded annual episodes of alphaherpesvirus outbreaks in chicks of magnificent frigatebird Fregata magnificens on the Ile du Grand Connétable Nature Reserve in French Guiana. In 2009, we found sooty terns, Onychoprion fuscatus, that live sympatrically with frigatebirds, with visible clinical signs of a potential viral infection. To determine if the symptoms observed in sooty terns could be associated with an alphaherpesvirus previously identified in frigatebirds, we carried out molecular screening of samples collected from seven individuals. We identified and characterized a novel viral sequence from five birds. BLAST searches, pairwise nucleotide, and amino acid sequence comparisons, as well as phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the sequence belonged to the Herpesviridae family, of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. We observed that it clustered with strains isolated from Podargidae (Caprimulgiformes), Columbiformes, and Falconiformes, but was distinct from the frigatebird herpesvirus. We have tentatively named it Onychoprion fuscatus alphaherpesvirus 1, (OfusAHV1). These two sequences, although found syntopic on the Ile du Grand Connétable, belong to two distinct alphaherpesvirus strains. Thus, the clinical symptoms showed by sooty terns do not likely result from a cross-species transmission event. Future work is needed to better characterize the virus and to investigate herpesvirus prevalence in healthy, free-ranging sooty terns, and to assess the impact of the virus on population viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manrico Sebastiano
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Univ, La Rochelle, France
| | - Daniele Canestrelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Science, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Roberta Bisconti
- Department of Ecological and Biological Science, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Anne Lavergne
- Laboratoire des Interactions Virus-Hôtes, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, France
| | - Kévin Pineau
- Groupe d'Etude et de Protection des Oiseaux en Guyane (GEPOG), Rémire-Montjoly, France
| | - Olivier Chastel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 CNRS-Univ, La Rochelle, France
| | - Vincent Lacoste
- Laboratoire des Interactions Virus-Hôtes, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, France.,Unité de Biologie des Infections Virales Emergentes, Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Institut Pasteur, Lyon, France
| | - David Costantini
- Unité Physiologie moléculaire et adaptation (PhyMA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, CP32, Paris, France
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16
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Perkins M, Lane OP, Evers DC, Sauer A, Adams EM, O'Driscoll NJ, Edmunds ST, Jackson AK, Hagelin JC, Trimble J, Sunderland EM. Historical patterns in mercury exposure for North American songbirds. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 29:1161-1173. [PMID: 31161526 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-019-02054-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a global environmental contaminant that poses significant risks to the health of humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. Assessing MeHg exposure in biota across the landscape and over time is vital for monitoring MeHg pollution and gauging the effectiveness of regulations intended to reduce new mercury (Hg) releases. We used MeHg concentrations measured in museum specimen feathers (collected between 1869 and 2014) and total Hg concentrations (as a proxy for MeHg) of feathers sampled from wild birds (collected between 2008 and 2017) to investigate temporal patterns in exposure over approximately 150 years for North American songbirds. For individual species, we found greater concentrations for samples collected post-2000 compared to those collected during historic times (pre-1900) for six of seven songbird species. Mean feather concentrations measured in samples collected post-2000 ranged between 1.9 and 17 times (mean 6.6) greater than historic specimens. The proportion of individual songbirds with feather concentrations that exceeded modeled toxicity benchmarks increased in samples collected after 1940. Only 2% of individual songbirds collected prior to 1940 had feather concentrations greater than 2.4 μg/g (a toxicity benchmark related to a 10% decrease in nest success) compared to 35% of individuals collected post-1940. Many species included in this study have a vulnerable or near-threatened conservation status, suggesting recovery actions are needed to address mercury pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Perkins
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Oksana P Lane
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Amy Sauer
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Evan M Adams
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
| | - Nelson J O'Driscoll
- K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
| | | | - Allyson K Jackson
- Department of Environmental Studies, Purchase College, SUNY, Purchase, NY, 10577, USA
| | - Julie C Hagelin
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Threatened, Endangered and Diversity Program, Fairbanks, AK, 99701, USA
| | - Jeremiah Trimble
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Elsie M Sunderland
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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17
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Bank MS. The mercury science-policy interface: History, evolution and progress of the Minamata Convention. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 722:137832. [PMID: 32208250 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) pollution is an important environmental and public health issue that has garnered significant interest from policy makers and the global regulatory community. Consumption of seafood is the primary mechanism of methyl Hg (MeHg) exposure in humans, globally, and marine fish represent an important linkage between atmospheric dynamics, aquatic biogeochemistry and trophic transfer of this highly neurotoxic and easily assimilated form of Hg. Hg policies and management are highly interdisciplinary and at their foundation are relatively well established scientific principles related to Hg methylation, MeHg cycling and bioaccumulation, and subsequent trophic transfer to humans; however, certain fine-scale aspects of these processes remain poorly understood. After several years of intergovernmental negotiations the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MCM) entered into force in August 2017. Anthropogenic releases (water) and emissions (air) of Hg, human exposure, and environmental health are of considerable importance within the framework and policies outlined in the MCM. Additionally, the overall risk of Hg from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is considered a significant source of human exposure and commonly occurs in low and middle income countries, where miners use elemental Hg to extract gold from ore. Here I outline the history, evolution and progress of the MCM as it relates to the science-policy interface and offer a brief synthesis of the state of Hg science in the context of modeling, temporal assessments of Hg trends and global environmental change and ecosystem sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Bank
- Department of Contaminants and Biohazards, Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
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18
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Bond AL, Jones IL. Relationships between mercury burden, sex, and sexually selected feather ornaments in crested auklet (Aethia cristatella). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:16640-16645. [PMID: 32130640 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08219-z] [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: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with higher contaminant burdens are expected to be in poorer physical health and be of lower individual body condition and energetic status, potentially resulting in reduced ornamentation or increased asymmetry in bilateral features. The degree and magnitude of this effect also would be expected to vary by sex, as female birds depurate contaminants into eggs. We tested for relationships among mercury in feathers, sex, and elaborate feather ornaments that relate to individual quality in crested auklets (Aethia cristatella), small planktivorous seabirds in the North Pacific Ocean. We found no relationships between mercury and the size of individuals' forehead crest or degree of measurement asymmetry in auricular plumes, both of which are favoured by intersexual selection. Females had significantly greater mercury concentrations than males (females. 1.02 ± 0.39 μg/g; males, 0.75 ± 0.32 μg/g); but concentrations were below that known to have physiological effects, as expected for a secondary consumer. Sex differences in overwintering area for this long-distance migrant species (more females in the Kuroshio Current Large Marine Ecosystem than males) could be the reason for this seemingly counterintuitive result between sexes. Further research relating mercury burden to overwintering ecology and diet contents would build on our results and further elucidate interrelationships between sex, sexually selected feather ornaments and contaminant burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Bond
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada.
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire, HP23 6AP, UK.
| | - Ian L Jones
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada
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19
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Chételat J, Ackerman JT, Eagles-Smith CA, Hebert CE. Methylmercury exposure in wildlife: A review of the ecological and physiological processes affecting contaminant concentrations and their interpretation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 711:135117. [PMID: 31831233 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) can result in detrimental health effects in wildlife. With advances in ecological indicators and analytical techniques for measurement of MeHg in a variety of tissues, numerous processes have been identified that can influence MeHg concentrations in wildlife. This review presents a synthesis of theoretical principals and applied information for measuring MeHg exposure and interpreting MeHg concentrations in wildlife. Mercury concentrations in wildlife are the net result of ecological processes influencing dietary exposure combined with physiological processes that regulate assimilation, transformation, and elimination. Therefore, consideration of both physiological and ecological processes should be integrated when formulating biomonitoring strategies. Ecological indicators, particularly stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, compound-specific stable isotopes, and fatty acids, can be effective tools to evaluate dietary MeHg exposure. Animal species differ in their physiological capacity for MeHg elimination, and animal tissues can be inert or physiologically active, act as sites of storage, transformation, or excretion of MeHg, and vary in the timing of MeHg exposure they represent. Biological influences such as age, sex, maternal transfer, and growth or fasting are also relevant for interpretation of tissue MeHg concentrations. Wildlife tissues that represent current or near-term bioaccumulation and in which MeHg is the predominant mercury species (such as blood and eggs) are most effective for biomonitoring ecosystems and understanding landscape drivers of MeHg exposure. Further research is suggested to critically evaluate the use of keratinized external tissues to measure MeHg bioaccumulation, particularly for less-well studied wildlife such as reptiles and terrestrial mammals. Suggested methods are provided to effectively use wildlife for quantifying patterns and drivers of MeHg bioaccumulation over time and space, as well as for assessing the potential risk and toxicological effects of MeHg on wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Chételat
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada.
| | - Joshua T Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620, United States
| | - Collin A Eagles-Smith
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, United States
| | - Craig E Hebert
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada
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20
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Lavers JL, Humphreys-Williams E, Crameri NJ, Bond AL. Trace element concentrations in feathers from three seabird species breeding in the Timor Sea. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 151:110876. [PMID: 32056652 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110876] [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: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mobile marine predators, such as seabirds, are frequently used as broad samplers of contaminants that are widespread in the marine environment. The Timor Sea off remote Western Australia is a poorly studied, yet rapidly expanding area of offshore development. To provide much needed data on contamination in this region, we quantified trace element concentrations in breast feathers of three seabird species breeding on Bedout Island. While adult Masked Boobies Sula dactylatra exhibited some of the highest concentrations, values for all species were below toxicology thresholds for seabirds and were comparable to those reported in other closely related species. The low concentrations detected in the birds provide a valuable baseline and suggest that the local marine environment around Bedout is in relatively good condition. However, careful monitoring is warranted in light increasing anthropogenic activity in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Lavers
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia.
| | - Emma Humphreys-Williams
- Imaging and Analysis Centre, Core Research Labs, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J Crameri
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia
| | - Alexander L Bond
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, United Kingdom
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21
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Bakker FT, Antonelli A, Clarke JA, Cook JA, Edwards SV, Ericson PGP, Faurby S, Ferrand N, Gelang M, Gillespie RG, Irestedt M, Lundin K, Larsson E, Matos-Maraví P, Müller J, von Proschwitz T, Roderick GK, Schliep A, Wahlberg N, Wiedenhoeft J, Källersjö M. The Global Museum: natural history collections and the future of evolutionary science and public education. PeerJ 2020; 8:e8225. [PMID: 32025365 PMCID: PMC6993751 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural history museums are unique spaces for interdisciplinary research and educational innovation. Through extensive exhibits and public programming and by hosting rich communities of amateurs, students, and researchers at all stages of their careers, they can provide a place-based window to focus on integration of science and discovery, as well as a locus for community engagement. At the same time, like a synthesis radio telescope, when joined together through emerging digital resources, the global community of museums (the ‘Global Museum’) is more than the sum of its parts, allowing insights and answers to diverse biological, environmental, and societal questions at the global scale, across eons of time, and spanning vast diversity across the Tree of Life. We argue that, whereas natural history collections and museums began with a focus on describing the diversity and peculiarities of species on Earth, they are now increasingly leveraged in new ways that significantly expand their impact and relevance. These new directions include the possibility to ask new, often interdisciplinary questions in basic and applied science, such as in biomimetic design, and by contributing to solutions to climate change, global health and food security challenges. As institutions, they have long been incubators for cutting-edge research in biology while simultaneously providing core infrastructure for research on present and future societal needs. Here we explore how the intersection between pressing issues in environmental and human health and rapid technological innovation have reinforced the relevance of museum collections. We do this by providing examples as food for thought for both the broader academic community and museum scientists on the evolving role of museums. We also identify challenges to the realization of the full potential of natural history collections and the Global Museum to science and society and discuss the critical need to grow these collections. We then focus on mapping and modelling of museum data (including place-based approaches and discovery), and explore the main projects, platforms and databases enabling this growth. Finally, we aim to improve relevant protocols for the long-term storage of specimens and tissues, ensuring proper connection with tomorrow’s technologies and hence further increasing the relevance of natural history museums.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freek T Bakker
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Julia A Clarke
- Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Joseph A Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States of America
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.,Gothenburg Centre for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Per G P Ericson
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Søren Faurby
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Nuno Ferrand
- Museu de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Magnus Gelang
- Department of Zoology, Gothenburg Natural History Museum, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Rosemary G Gillespie
- Essig Museum of Entomology, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States of America
| | - Martin Irestedt
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kennet Lundin
- Department of Zoology, Gothenburg Natural History Museum, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Ellen Larsson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Pável Matos-Maraví
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Johannes Müller
- Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ted von Proschwitz
- Department of Zoology, Gothenburg Natural History Museum, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - George K Roderick
- Essig Museum of Entomology, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States of America
| | - Alexander Schliep
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | | | - John Wiedenhoeft
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Mari Källersjö
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Botanical Garden, Göteborg, Sweden
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22
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Sulikowska-Drozd A, Duda P, Janiszewska K. Micro-CT screening of old shell collections helps to understand the distribution of viviparity in the highly diversified clausiliid clade of land snails. Sci Rep 2020; 10:60. [PMID: 31919454 PMCID: PMC6952383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56674-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Current zoological research may benefit in many ways from the study of old collections of shells. These collections may provide materials for the verification of broad zoogeographical and ecological hypotheses on the reproduction of molluscs, as they include records from many areas where sampling is currently impossible or very difficult due to political circumstances. In the present paper we present data on viviparous and embryo-retention reproductive modes in clausiliid land snails (subfamily Phaedusinae) acquired from specimens collected since the nineteenth century in the Pontic, Hyrcanian, and East and Southeast Asian regions. X-ray imaging (micro-CT) enabled relatively quick screening of more than 1,000 individuals classified within 141 taxa, among which we discovered 205 shells containing embryos or eggs. Gravid individuals were found to belong to 55 species, representing, for some of these species, the first indication of brooding reproductive strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Sulikowska-Drozd
- University of Lodz, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Banacha Str. 12/16, 90-237, Lodz, Poland.
| | - Piotr Duda
- University of Silesia in Katowice, Faculty of Science and Technology, Będzińska Str. 39, 41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Janiszewska
- Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818, Warsaw, Poland
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23
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Swift evolutionary response of microbes to a rise in anthropogenic mercury in the Northern Hemisphere. ISME JOURNAL 2019; 14:788-800. [PMID: 31831837 PMCID: PMC7031220 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0563-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic mercury remobilization has considerably increased since the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a United Nations treaty (2017) aiming at curbing mercury emissions. Unfortunately, evaluating the effectiveness of such a global treaty is hampered by our inability to determine the lag in aquatic ecosystem responses to a change in atmospheric mercury deposition. Whereas past metal concentrations are obtained from core samples, there are currently no means of tracking historical metal bioavailability or toxicity. Here, we recovered DNA from nine dated sediment cores collected in Canada and Finland, and reconstructed the past demographics of microbes carrying genes coding for the mercuric reductase (MerA)—an enzyme involved in Hg detoxification—using Bayesian relaxed molecular clocks. We found that the evolutionary dynamics of merA exhibited a dramatic increase in effective population size starting from 1783.8 ± 3.9 CE, which coincides with both the Industrial Revolution, and with independent measurements of atmospheric Hg concentrations. We show that even low levels of anthropogenic mercury affected the evolutionary trajectory of microbes in the Northern Hemisphere, and that microbial DNA encoding for detoxification determinants stored in environmental archives can be used to track historical pollutant toxicity.
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24
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Weiss-Penzias PS, Bank MS, Clifford DL, Torregrosa A, Zheng B, Lin W, Wilmers CC. Marine fog inputs appear to increase methylmercury bioaccumulation in a coastal terrestrial food web. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17611. [PMID: 31772229 PMCID: PMC6879473 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54056-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal marine atmospheric fog has recently been implicated as a potential source of ocean-derived monomethylmercury (MMHg) to coastal terrestrial ecosystems through the process of sea-to-land advection of foggy air masses followed by wet deposition. This study examined whether pumas (Puma concolor) in coastal central California, USA, and their associated food web, have elevated concentrations of MMHg, which could be indicative of their habitat being in a region that is regularly inundated with marine fog. We found that adult puma fur and fur-normalized whiskers in our marine fog-influenced study region had a mean (±SE) total Hg (THg) (a convenient surrogate for MMHg) concentration of 1544 ± 151 ng g-1 (N = 94), which was three times higher (P < 0.01) than mean THg in comparable samples from inland areas of California (492 ± 119 ng g-1, N = 18). Pumas in California eat primarily black-tailed and/or mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and THg in deer fur from the two regions was also significantly different (coastal 28.1 ± 2.9, N = 55, vs. inland 15.5 ± 1.5 ng g-1, N = 40). We suggest that atmospheric deposition of MMHg through fog may be contributing to this pattern, as we also observed significantly higher MMHg concentrations in lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii), a deer food and a bioindicator of atmospheric deposition, at sites with the highest fog frequencies. At these ocean-facing sites, deer samples had significantly higher THg concentrations compared to those from more inland bay-facing sites. Our results suggest that fog-borne MMHg, while likely a small fraction of Hg in all atmospheric deposition, may contribute, disproportionately, to the bioaccumulation of Hg to levels that approach toxicological thresholds in at least one apex predator. As global mercury levels increase, coastal food webs may be at risk to the toxicological effects of increased methylmercury burdens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter S Weiss-Penzias
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
| | - Michael S Bank
- Institute of Marine Research, Department of Contaminants and Biohazards, Bergen, Norway
- University of Massachusetts, Department of Environmental Conservation, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Deana L Clifford
- Wildlife Investigations Lab, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Rancho Cordova, CA, USA
- University of California, School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Alicia Torregrosa
- United States Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Belle Zheng
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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25
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Kan C, Shao X, Song F, Xu J, Zhu J, Du L. Bioimaging of a fluorescence rhodamine-based probe for reversible detection of Hg (II) and its application in real water environment. Microchem J 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2019.104142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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26
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Sun J, Bustnes JO, Helander B, Bårdsen BJ, Boertmann D, Dietz R, Jaspers VLB, Labansen AL, Lepoint G, Schulz R, Søndergaard J, Sonne C, Thorup K, Tøttrup AP, Zubrod JP, Eens M, Eulaers I. Temporal trends of mercury differ across three northern white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) subpopulations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 687:77-86. [PMID: 31203010 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The spatiotemporal trends of mercury (Hg) are crucial for the understanding of this ubiquitous and toxic contaminant. However, uncertainties often arise from comparison among studies using different species, analytical and statistical methods. The long-term temporal trends of Hg exposure were reconstructed for a key sentinel species, the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Body feathers were sampled from museum collections covering 150 years in time (from 1866 to 2015) from West Greenland (n = 124), Norway (n = 102), and Sweden (n = 87). A significant non-linear trend was observed in the Norwegian subpopulation, with a 60% increase in exposure occurring from 1866 to 1957 followed by a 40% decline until 2015. In the Swedish subpopulation, studied at a later period, the Hg exposure showed a drastic decline of 70% from 1967 to 2011. In contrast, no significant trend could be observed in the Greenland subpopulation. The additional analysis of dietary proxies (δ13C and δ15N) in general increased performance of the temporal trend models, but this was dependent on the subpopulation and study period. The downward trend of Hg coincided with the decreasing δ13C and δ15N in the Norwegian subpopulation, suggesting a potential dietary mitigation of Hg contamination. Hg exposure in both the Greenland and Norwegian subpopulations was consistently below the suggested threshold for adverse health effects (40.0 μg g-1), while the maximum exposure in the Swedish subpopulation was distinctively elevated (median: 46.0 μg g-1) and still remains well above natural background concentrations (maximum 5.0 μg g-1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiachen Sun
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, BE-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Jan Ove Bustnes
- Arctic Ecology Department, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Björn Helander
- Environmental Research & Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Frescativägen 40, PO Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bård-Jørgen Bårdsen
- Arctic Ecology Department, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), FRAM Centre, NO-9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - David Boertmann
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Veerle L B Jaspers
- Environmental Toxicology Group, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Høgskoleringen 5, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Aili Lage Labansen
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, GL-3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Gilles Lepoint
- MARE Centre, Oceanology, University of Liège, Allée de la Chimie 3, BE-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Ralf Schulz
- iES, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, DE-76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Jens Søndergaard
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Christian Sonne
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kasper Thorup
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anders P Tøttrup
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jochen P Zubrod
- iES, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, DE-76829 Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, BE-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Igor Eulaers
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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27
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Billerman SM, Walsh J. Historical DNA as a tool to address key questions in avian biology and evolution: A review of methods, challenges, applications, and future directions. Mol Ecol Resour 2019; 19:1115-1130. [PMID: 31336408 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Museum specimens play a crucial role in addressing key questions in systematics, evolution, ecology, and conservation. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies, specimens that have long been the foundation of important biological discoveries can inform new perspectives as sources of genomic data. Despite the many possibilities associated with analyzing DNA from historical specimens, several challenges persist. Using avian systems as a model, we review DNA extraction protocols, sequencing technologies, and capture methods that are helping researchers overcome some of these difficulties. We highlight empirical examples in which researchers have used these technologies to address fundamental questions related to avian conservation and evolution. Increasing accessibility to new sequencing technologies will provide researchers with tools to tap into the wealth of information contained within our valuable natural history collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn M Billerman
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer Walsh
- Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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28
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Crumsey JM, Searle JB, Sparks JP. Isotope values of California vole (Microtus californicus) hair relate to historical drought and land use patterns in California, USA. Oecologia 2019; 190:769-781. [PMID: 31273518 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04457-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Increased drought frequency and intensity and agricultural intensification have been key stressors to ecological systems over the past century. Biological proxies (e.g., pollen, tree rings) have been used to track this environmental change; however, linking these changes to the ecology of organisms remains challenging. Here, we link historical drought records to conditions of high water-stress in grassland habitats through the stable isotope analysis of California vole museum specimens (Microtus californicus). Using museum collections spanning 118-years (1891-2009), isotope values of dated hair tissues were associated with statewide drought metrics on the Palmer Drought Severity Index. We observed a positive correlation between δ15N and δ18O values and drought severity. The range in δ15N values (~ 18‰) is greater than what would be expected as a result of dietary shifts across the landscape (~ 3‰), and is likely attributed to the combined effects of physiological responses of M. californicus and isotopic shifts in plant resources with increased water-stress. Geospatial patterns in δ34S values of hair tissues reflect higher baseline isotope values in coastal habitats. However, comparably high δ34S values in the southern-most inland localities suggest sulfur fertilization of croplands and subsequent transfer to surrounding grassland habitats in 34S enriched forms. A broad δ13C range (- 28.7 to - 14.3‰) further suggests the consumption of C3 and C4 plant-based dietary proteins. As shown here, stable isotope analysis of museum collections can provide a climate and land use record based on the physiological performance and ecology of a study species in a region affected intensely by anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine M Crumsey
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-7202, USA. .,Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-2202, USA.
| | - Jeremy B Searle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-7202, USA
| | - Jed P Sparks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-7202, USA
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29
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Azad AM, Frantzen S, Bank MS, Johnsen IA, Tessier E, Amouroux D, Madsen L, Maage A. Spatial distribution of mercury in seawater, sediment, and seafood from the Hardangerfjord ecosystem, Norway. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 667:622-637. [PMID: 30833261 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Hardangerfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and has historical mercury (Hg) contamination from a zinc plant in its inner sector. In order to investigate the extent of Hg transferred to abiotic and biotic ecosystem compartments, Hg and monomethylmercury (MeHg) concentrations were measured in seawater, sediment, and seafood commonly consumed by humans. Although total mercury in seawater has been described previously, this investigation reports novel MeHg data for seawater from Norwegian fjords. Total Hg and MeHg concentrations in seawater, sediment, and biota increased towards the point source of pollution (PSP) and multiple lines of evidence show a clear PSP effect in seawater and sediment concentrations. In fish, however, similar high concentrations were found in the inner part of another branch adjacent to the PSP. We postulate that, in addition to PSP, atmospheric Hg, terrestrial run-off and hydroelectric power stations are also important sources of Hg in this fjord ecosystem. Hg contamination gradually increased towards the inner part of the fjord for most fish species and crustaceans. Since the PSP and the atmospheric Hg pools were greater towards the inner part of the fjord, it is not entirely possible to discriminate the full extent of the PSP and the atmospheric Hg contribution to the fjord food web. The European Union (EU) Hg maximum level for consumption was exceeded in demersal fish species including tusk (Brosme brosme), blue ling (Molva dypterygia) and common ling (Molva molva) from the inner fjord (1.08 to 1.89 mg kg-1 ww) and from the outer fjord (0.49 to 1.07 mg kg-1 ww). Crustaceans were less contaminated and only European lobster (Homarus gammarus) from inner fjord exceeded the EU limit (0.62 mg kg-1 ww). Selenium (Se) concentrations were also measured in seafood species and Se-Hg co-exposure dynamics are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atabak M Azad
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | | | - Michael S Bank
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
| | | | - Emmanuel Tessier
- CNRS/ Univ Pau & Pays Adour/ E2S UPPA, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physicochimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR5254, 64000 Pau, France
| | - David Amouroux
- CNRS/ Univ Pau & Pays Adour/ E2S UPPA, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physicochimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR5254, 64000 Pau, France
| | - Lise Madsen
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Amund Maage
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway; Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Gilmour ME, Holmes ND, Fleishman AB, Kriwoken LK. Temporal and interspecific variation in feather mercury in four penguin species from Macquarie Island, Australia. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2019; 142:282-289. [PMID: 31232305 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.051] [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: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We measured mercury (Hg) concentrations in feathers from four penguin species collected on Macquarie Island, Southern Ocean, to 1) establish baseline Hg concentrations; and 2) compare Hg from samples collected in 2002 ("modern") and from museum specimens collected between 1937 and 1976 ("historic"). Inter-specific differences in feather Hg reflected known differences in habitats and diversity of diets: benthic-foraging Gentoo penguins and Rockhopper penguins that foraged both inshore and offshore had significantly higher feather mercury than the more pelagic, specialist foraging King and Royal penguins. Hg significantly decreased between historic and modern samples in King and Royal penguins. This decrease could be due to changes in either diet, foodwebs, or atmospheric Hg input and sources in the Southern Hemisphere. Because Macquarie Island is home to 2.8 million marine animals, these data may indicate that other species that forage and breed in this region are also exposed to low Hg concentrations in this environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Gilmour
- Ocean Sciences Dept., University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz 95060, CA, USA.
| | - N D Holmes
- School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia 7001; Island Conservation, 2100 Delaware Ave., Santa Cruz 95060, CA, USA
| | - A B Fleishman
- Conservation Metrics, Inc., 145 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz 95060, CA, USA
| | - L K Kriwoken
- School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia 7001
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Liu L, Wang J, Wang L, Hu Y, Ma X. Vertical distributions of mercury in marine sediment cores from central and southern part of Bohai Sea, China. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2019; 170:399-406. [PMID: 30550970 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.12.003] [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: 05/17/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In past decades, China has experienced substantial economic growth and industrialization. However, the effects of vast development of China on Hg input to the nearby oceans are still unclear. In this study, four representative 210Pb-dated sediment cores were collected in the central and southern part of Bohai sea to investigate vertical changes of Hg contents and explore the relationship between the Hg deposition and pollution history in this region utilizing a large amount of information available. The results indicated that Hg median concentrations of sediment core B62, B66, JQ17 and HZ24 were 0.043 mg/kg, 0.054 mg/kg, 0.033 mg/kg and 0.018 mg/kg respectively, among which, B66 in Yellow river estuary and B62 in central part of Bohai Sea had higher concentrations and HZ24 in Bohai Strait had a lower concentration. 210Pb profile appeared as a three segments model in the core B62, but as many steps of decay with depth in B66. For HZ24, 210Pb activity only fluctuated with depth without any discernible trend. Sedimentary rates of these cores decreased as follows: B66>B62>JQ17>HZ24. Vertical distributions of Hg concentrations in sediment cores were totally different from each other. Hg concentrations in sediment core B62 experienced an initial fluctuation followed by a decreasing trend, while sediment core HZ24 almost showed the uniform decreasing trends from the surface to the bottom. There were three segments of variation in sediment cores JQ17: initial fluctuation followed by an obviously decreasing tendency and then a converted variation from surface to bottom. Hg contents changes in core B62 might reflect the additive effects from atmospheric deposition at a larger scale and the river-delivered sediment accumulation, while Hg vertical changes in B66 mainly had a close relationship with the input of Yellow river. The converted variation at the bottom section in sediment cores JQ17 was inferred to have some relationship with the Chengbei platform construction in the corresponding periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Liu
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Linghe Street 42, Dalian City, Liaoning Province 116023, China
| | - Juying Wang
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Linghe Street 42, Dalian City, Liaoning Province 116023, China.
| | - Lijun Wang
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Linghe Street 42, Dalian City, Liaoning Province 116023, China
| | - Yingying Hu
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Linghe Street 42, Dalian City, Liaoning Province 116023, China
| | - Xindong Ma
- National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center, Linghe Street 42, Dalian City, Liaoning Province 116023, China
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Shoji A, Elliott KH, Aris-Brosou S, Mizukawa H, Nakayama SMM, Ikenaka Y, Ishizuka M, Kuwae T, Watanabe K, Escoruela Gonzalez J, Watanuki Y. Biotransport of metallic trace elements from marine to terrestrial ecosystems by seabirds. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2019; 38:106-114. [PMID: 30284322 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Physical systems, such as currents and winds, have traditionally been considered responsible for transporting contaminants. Although evidence is mounting that animals play a role in this process through their movements, we still know little about how such contaminant biotransport occurs and the extent of effects at deposition sites. In the present study, we address this question by studying how rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), a seabird that occurs in immense colonies (∼300 000 pairs at our study site, Teuri Island), affect contaminant levels at their colony and at nearby sites. More specifically, we hypothesize that contaminants are transported and deposited by seabirds at their colony and that these contaminants are passed on locally to the terrestrial ecosystem. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the concentration of 9 heavy metal and metalloids, as well as δ13 C and δ15 N stable isotopes, in bird tissues, plants, and soil, both within and outside of the colony. The results show that rhinoceros auklets transport marine-derived mercury (Hg), possibly from their wintering location, and deposit Hg via their feces at their breeding site, thereby contaminating plants and soils within the breeding colony. The present study confirms not only that animals can transport contaminants from marine to terrestrial ecosystems, potentially over unexpectedly long distances, but also that bird tissues contribute locally to plant contamination. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:106-114. © 2018 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Shoji
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
- Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - K H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - S Aris-Brosou
- Departments of Biology and Statistics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - H Mizukawa
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - S M M Nakayama
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Y Ikenaka
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - M Ishizuka
- Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Laboratory of Toxicology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - T Kuwae
- Coastal and Estuarine Environment Research Group, Port and Airport Research Institute, Yokosuka, Japan
| | - K Watanabe
- Coastal and Estuarine Environment Research Group, Port and Airport Research Institute, Yokosuka, Japan
| | - J Escoruela Gonzalez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Y Watanuki
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
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Schmitt CJ, Cook JA, Zamudio KR, Edwards SV. Museum specimens of terrestrial vertebrates are sensitive indicators of environmental change in the Anthropocene. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 374:20170387. [PMID: 30455205 PMCID: PMC6282080 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural history museums and the specimen collections they curate are vital scientific infrastructure, a fact as true today as it was when biologists began collecting and preserving specimens over 200 years ago. The importance of museum specimens in studies of taxonomy, systematics, ecology and evolutionary biology is evidenced by a rich and abundant literature, yet creative and novel uses of specimens are constantly broadening the impact of natural history collections on biodiversity science and global sustainability. Excellent examples of the critical importance of specimens come from their use in documenting the consequences of environmental change, which is particularly relevant considering the alarming rate at which we now modify our planet in the Anthropocene. In this review, we highlight the important role of bird, mammal and amphibian specimens in documenting the Anthropocene and provide examples that underscore the need for continued collection of museum specimens.This article is part of the theme issue 'Biological collections for understanding biodiversity in the Anthropocene'.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Jonathan Schmitt
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Joseph A Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology & Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Kelly R Zamudio
- Museum of Vertebrates and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Cherel Y, Barbraud C, Lahournat M, Jaeger A, Jaquemet S, Wanless RM, Phillips RA, Thompson DR, Bustamante P. Accumulate or eliminate? Seasonal mercury dynamics in albatrosses, the most contaminated family of birds. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 241:124-135. [PMID: 29803026 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.05.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) are iconic pelagic seabirds whose life-history traits (longevity, high trophic position) put them at risk of high levels of exposure to methylmercury (MeHg), a powerful neurotoxin that threatens humans and wildlife. Here, we report total Hg (THg) concentrations in body feathers from 516 individual albatrosses from 35 populations, including all 20 taxa breeding in the Southern Ocean. Our key finding is that albatrosses constitute the family of birds with the highest levels of contamination by Hg, with mean feather THg concentrations in different populations ranging from moderate (3.8 μg/g) to exceptionally high (34.6 μg/g). Phylogeny had a significant effect on feather THg concentrations, with the mean decreasing in the order Diomedea > Phoebetria > Thalassarche. Unexpectedly, moulting habitats (reflected in feather δ13C values) was the main driver of feather THg concentrations, indicating increasing MeHg exposure with decreasing latitude, from Antarctic to subtropical waters. The role of moulting habitat suggests that the majority of MeHg eliminated into feathers by albatrosses is from recent food intake (income strategy). They thus differ from species that depurate MeHg into feathers that has been accumulated in internal tissues between two successive moults (capital strategy). Since albatrosses are amongst the most threatened families of birds, it is noteworthy that two albatrosses listed as Critical by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) that moult and breed in temperate waters are the most Hg-contaminated species (the Amsterdam and Tristan albatrosses). These data emphasize the urgent need for robust assessment of the impact of Hg contamination on the biology of albatrosses and they document the high MeHg level exposure of wildlife living in the most remote marine areas on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France.
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Maxime Lahournat
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France; Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés, UMR 7266 du CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Audrey Jaeger
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France; Laboratoire ENTROPIE, UMR 9220 du CNRS- IRD-Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, BP 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | - Sébastien Jaquemet
- Laboratoire ENTROPIE, UMR 9220 du CNRS- IRD-Université de La Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, BP 92003, 97744 Saint-Denis, La Réunion, France
| | - Ross M Wanless
- DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Richard A Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - David R Thompson
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés, UMR 7266 du CNRS-Université de la Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
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Góngora E, Braune BM, Elliott KH. Nitrogen and sulfur isotopes predict variation in mercury levels in Arctic seabird prey. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 135:907-914. [PMID: 30301115 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.07.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) biotransformation and biomagnification are processes that affect Hg burdens in wildlife. To interpret variation in Hg in seabird eggs, used as Hg bioindicators in the Arctic, it is important to understand how Hg biomagnifies through the food web. We evaluated the use of δ34S, along with other commonly used stable isotope signatures (δ15N and δ13C), for the determination of possible sources of Hg in an Arctic food web (56 individuals of 15 species of fish and invertebrates). Hg correlated with δ34S (R2 = 0.72). When the combined effects of δ34S and δ15N were considered in mixed-effects models, both δ34S and δ15N together described Hg patterns in Arctic food webs better than either isotope alone. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of δ34S to account for variation in Hg among marine animals and to study the possible underlying effects that MeHg production may have on Hg pathways in Arctic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Góngora
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue H9X 3V9, Canada.
| | - Birgit M Braune
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Raven Road, Ottawa K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue H9X 3V9, Canada
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Xia N, Feng F, Liu C, Li R, Xiang W, Shi H, Gao L. The detection of mercury ion using DNA as sensors based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Talanta 2018; 192:500-507. [PMID: 30348424 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2018.08.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Mercury ion (Hg2+) is a heavy metal that can cause serious water pollution. With the accumulation of large quantities in lakes, rivers, freshwater and aquatic life, Hg2+ can pass through the food chain, entering the human body and endangering health. Hg2+ detection has therefore become important thereby attracting extensive interests. Currently, several DNA-based sensors have been used for Hg2+ detection because they are not easy to degrade and are very stable. This paper summarizes the application of some DNA-based sensors based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), analyzes their characteristic, and compares their sensitivity. Future perspectives and possible challenges in this area are also outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ni Xia
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China
| | - Fan Feng
- The fourth affiliated hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212001, PR China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China
| | - Raoqi Li
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China
| | - Wenwen Xiang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China
| | - Haixia Shi
- P. E. Department of Zhenjiang University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China
| | - Li Gao
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China.
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Kumar A, Divoll TJ, Ganguli PM, Trama FA, Lamborg CH. Presence of artisanal gold mining predicts mercury bioaccumulation in five genera of bats (Chiroptera). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 236:862-870. [PMID: 29475173 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Mercury, a toxic trace metal, has been used extensively as an inexpensive and readily available method of extracting gold from fine-grained sediment. Worldwide, artisanal mining is responsible for one third of all mercury released into the environment. By testing bat hair from museum specimens and field collected samples from areas both impacted and unimpacted by artisanal gold mining in Perú, we show monomethylmercury (MMHg) has increased in the last 100 years. MMHg concentrations were also greatest in the highest bat trophic level (insectivores), and in areas experiencing extractive artisanal mining. Reproductive female bats had higher MMHg concentrations, and both juvenile and adult bats from mercury contaminated sites had more MMHg than those from uncontaminated sites. Bats have important ecological functions, providing vital ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control. Natural populations can act as environmental sentinels and offer the chance to expand our understanding of, and responses to, environmental and human health concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Kumar
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Timothy J Divoll
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Rd., Portland, ME, USA; Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and Conservation, Indiana State University, 600 Chestnut St., Terre Haute, IN, USA.
| | - Priya M Ganguli
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry, 266 Woods Hole Road, MS#51, Woods Hole, MA, USA; Department of Geological Sciences, Water Science Program, CalState University, Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA, USA.
| | - Florencia A Trama
- Centro Neotropical de Entrenamiento en Humedales-Perú, Jr. Puerto Inca #174 Dept. 302, Urb. Los Olivos-Surco, Lima 33, Lima, Peru.
| | - Carl H Lamborg
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd., Woods Hole, MA, USA; Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
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38
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Stenhouse IJ, Adams EM, Goyette JL, Regan KJ, Goodale MW, Evers DC. Changes in mercury exposure of marine birds breeding in the Gulf of Maine, 2008-2013. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 128:156-161. [PMID: 29571358 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Mercury is a potent contaminant that can disrupt an organism's behavior and physiology, ultimately affecting reproductive success. Over the last 100 years, environmental deposition of anthropogenic sourced mercury has increased globally, particularly in the U.S. Northeast region. Marine birds are considered effective bioindicators of ecosystem health, including persistent marine contaminants. Goodale et al. (2008) found that mercury exposure exceeded adverse effects levels in some marine bird species breeding across the Gulf of Maine. We re-examined mercury contamination in four species identified as effective bioindicators. Compared with the previous sampling effort, inshore-feeding species showed significant increases in mercury exposure, while one pelagic-feeding species remained stable. This suggests that a major shift may have occurred in methylmercury availability in inshore waters of the Gulf of Maine. Understanding environmental mercury trends in the Gulf of Maine, and its significance to marine birds and other taxa will require a dedicated, standardized, long-term monitoring scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iain J Stenhouse
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103, United States.
| | - Evan M Adams
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103, United States
| | - Jennifer L Goyette
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103, United States
| | - Kevin J Regan
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103, United States
| | - M Wing Goodale
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103, United States
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103, United States
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Perkins M, Barst BD, Hadrava J, Basu N. Mercury speciation and subcellular distribution in experimentally dosed and wild birds. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2017; 36:3289-3298. [PMID: 28691779 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Many bird species are exposed to methylmercury (MeHg) at levels shown to cause sublethal effects. Although MeHg sensitivity and assimilation can vary among species and developmental stages, the underlying reasons (such as MeHg toxicokinetics) are poorly understood. We investigated Hg distribution at the tissue and cellular levels in birds by examining Hg speciation in blood, brain, and liver and Hg subcellular distribution in liver. We used MeHg egg injection of white leghorn chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), sampled at 3 early developmental stages, and embryonic ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) exposed to maternally deposited MeHg. The percentage of MeHg (relative to total Hg [THg]) in blood, brain, and liver ranged from 94 to 121%, indicating little MeHg demethylation. A liver subcellular partitioning procedure was used to determine how THg was distributed between potentially sensitive and detoxified compartments. The distributions of THg among subcellular fractions were similar among chicken time points, and between embryonic chicken and ring-billed gulls. A greater proportion of THg was associated with metal-sensitive fractions than detoxified fractions. Within the sensitive compartment, THg was found predominately in heat-denatured proteins (∼42-46%), followed by mitochondria (∼15-18%). A low rate of MeHg demethylation and high proportion of THg in metal-sensitive subcellular fractions further indicates that embryonic and hatchling time points are Hg-sensitive developmental stages, although further work is needed across a range of additional species and life stages. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3289-3298. © 2017 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Perkins
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Benjamin D Barst
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Justine Hadrava
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Niladri Basu
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
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40
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Movalli P, Bode P, Dekker R, Fornasari L, van der Mije S, Yosef R. Retrospective biomonitoring of mercury and other elements in museum feathers of common kestrel Falco tinnunculus using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 24:25986-26005. [PMID: 28942505 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0157-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the potential to use instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to explore temporal and geographical variation in exposure to heavy metals and other selected elements in common kestrel Falco tinnunculus using feathers from a natural history collection. The study gathered samples of two breast feathers from each of 16 adult male kestrel specimens from Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, collected in The Netherlands between 1901 and 2001. Feather samples were analysed for more than 50 elements, using INAA at the Reactor Institute Delft. Results (in mg/kg dw) were transformed into ratios of milligram of element per millimetre of feather length. The distribution of the mass fractions and ratios was plotted for each element against time and by geographical area. Observed mass fractions and/or ratios are discussed for selected elements (Hg, Cd, Zn, Pt, Pd, Se, Al, Rb, As, Sb, Cr, V, Cl, Br) known to have, at certain concentrations, adverse effects on raptors. Some samples show mass fractions of certain elements (Cr, Cd, Se, As) above levels known to have adverse effects. We conclude that the analysis of museum feathers using INAA provides reference values for concentrations of selected elements, including those of high societal concern such as Hg and Cd, against which to assess concentrations of these elements in feathers of present-day living raptor populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Movalli
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, Netherlands.
| | - Peter Bode
- Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB, Delft, Netherlands
| | - René Dekker
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Reuven Yosef
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Eilat Campus, 8499000, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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Renedo M, Bustamante P, Tessier E, Pedrero Z, Cherel Y, Amouroux D. Assessment of mercury speciation in feathers using species-specific isotope dilution analysis. Talanta 2017; 174:100-110. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2017.05.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Revised: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Drevnick PE, Brooks BA. Mercury in tunas and blue marlin in the North Pacific Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2017; 36:1365-1374. [PMID: 28264147 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Models and data from the North Pacific Ocean indicate that mercury concentrations in water and biota are increasing in response to (global or hemispheric) anthropogenic mercury releases. In the present study, we provide an updated record of mercury in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) caught near Hawaii that confirms an earlier conclusion that mercury concentrations in these fish are increasing at a rate similar to that observed in waters shallower than 1000 m. We also compiled and reanalyzed data from bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) caught near Hawaii in the 1970s and 2000s. Increases in mercury concentrations in bigeye tuna are consistent with the trend found in yellowfin tuna, in both timing and magnitude. The data available for blue marlin do not allow for a fair comparison among years, because mercury concentrations differ between sexes for this species, and sex was identified (or reported) in only 3 of 7 studies. Also, mercury concentrations in blue marlin may be insensitive to modest changes in mercury exposure, because this species appears to have the ability to detoxify mercury. The North Pacific Ocean is a region of both relatively high rates of atmospheric mercury deposition and capture fisheries production. Other data sets that allow temporal comparisons in mercury concentrations, such as pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in Alaskan waters and albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) off the US Pacific coast, should be explored further, to aid in understanding human health and ecological risks and to develop additional baseline knowledge for assessing changes in a region expected to respond strongly to reductions in anthropogenic mercury emissions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1365-1374. © 2017 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Drevnick
- University of Michigan Biological Station and School of Natural Resources and Environment, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Environmental Monitoring and Science Division, Alberta Environment and Parks, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Barbara A Brooks
- Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office, Hawaii Department of Health, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Elliott KH, Elliott JE. Origin of Sulfur in Diet Drives Spatial and Temporal Mercury Trends in Seabird Eggs From Pacific Canada 1968-2015. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2016; 50:13380-13386. [PMID: 27993060 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b05458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a neurotoxin that can be particularly harmful to top predators because it biomagnifies through the food web. Due to variation in the food web structure, variation in Hg exposure in predators may represent variation in diet rather than Hg availability. We measured Hg in eggs from six seabird species (N = 537) over 47 years. In contrast to expectation, storm-petrels feeding partially on invertebrates had the highest Hg burden while herons feeding on large fish had the lowest Hg burden. A multiple regression showed that Hg correlated with δ34S (R2 = 0.86) rather than trophic level (δ15N of "trophic" amino acids). Sulfate-rich environments (high δ34S) have sulfate-reducing bacteria that produce methylmercury. Variation in Hg within and among seabirds near the top of the food web was associated with variation in δ34S at the base of the food web more so than trophic position within the food web. Hg levels in seabirds only changed over time for those species where δ34S also varied in tandem; after accounting for diet (δ34S), there was no variation in Hg levels. Variation in Hg in seabirds across space and time was associated with the origin of sulfur in the diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University , Ste Anne-de-Bellevue Quebec, Canada H9X 3 V9
| | - John E Elliott
- Science & Technology Branch, Environment Canada , Delta British Columbia, Canada V4K 3N2
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45
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Luengen AC, Foslund HM, Greenfield BK. Decline in methylmercury in museum-preserved bivalves from San Francisco Bay, California. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 572:782-793. [PMID: 27622695 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.070] [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: 03/26/2016] [Revised: 07/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
There are ongoing efforts to manage mercury and nutrient pollution in San Francisco Bay (California, USA), but historical data on biological responses are limited. We used bivalves preserved in formalin or ethanol from museum collections to investigate long-term trends in methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations and carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. In the southern reach of the estuary, South Bay, MeHg in the Asian date mussel (Musculista senhousia) significantly declined over the study duration (1970 to 2012). Mean MeHg concentrations were highest (218ng/g dry weight, dw) in 1975 and declined 3.8-fold (to 57ng/g dw) by 2012. This decrease corresponded with closure of the New Almaden Mercury Mines and was consistent with previously observed declines in sediment core mercury concentrations. In contrast, across all sites, MeHg in the overbite clam (Potamocorbula amurensis) increased 1.3-fold from 64ng/g dw before 2000 to 81ng/g dw during the 2000s and was higher than in M. senhousia. Pearson correlation coefficients of the association between MeHg and δ13C or δ15N provided no evidence that food web alterations explained changing MeHg concentrations. However, isotopic composition shifted temporally. South Bay bivalve δ15N increased from 12‰ in the 1970s to 18‰ in 2012. This increase corresponded with increasing nitrogen loadings from wastewater treatment plants until the late 1980s and increasing phytoplankton biomass from the 1990s to 2012. Similarly, a 3‰ decline in δ13C from 2002 to 2012 may represent greater utilization of planktonic food sources. In a complimentary 90day laboratory study to validate use of these preserved specimens, preservation had only minor effects (<0.5‰) on δ13C and δ15N. MeHg increased following preservation but then stabilized. These are the first documented long-term trends in biota MeHg and stable isotopes in this heavily impacted estuary and support the utility of preserved specimens to infer contaminant and biogeochemical trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison C Luengen
- Environmental Sciences Department, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA.
| | - Heather M Foslund
- Environmental Sciences Department, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA.
| | - Ben K Greenfield
- Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 50 University Hall #7360, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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Eagles-Smith CA, Ackerman JT, Willacker JJ, Tate MT, Lutz MA, Fleck JA, Stewart AR, Wiener JG, Evers DC, Lepak JM, Davis JA, Pritz CF. Spatial and temporal patterns of mercury concentrations in freshwater fish across the Western United States and Canada. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 568:1171-1184. [PMID: 27102274 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury contamination of fish is a global threat to environmental health. Mercury (Hg) monitoring programs are valuable for generating data that can be compiled for spatially broad syntheses to identify emergent ecosystem properties that influence fish Hg bioaccumulation. Fish total Hg (THg) concentrations were evaluated across the Western United States (US) and Canada, a region defined by extreme gradients in habitat structure and water management. A database was compiled with THg concentrations in 96,310 fish that comprised 206 species from 4262 locations, and used to evaluate the spatial distribution of fish THg across the region and effects of species, foraging guilds, habitats, and ecoregions. Areas of elevated THg exposure were identified by developing a relativized estimate of fish mercury concentrations at a watershed scale that accounted for the variability associated with fish species, fish size, and site effects. THg concentrations in fish muscle ranged between 0.001 and 28.4 (μg/g wet weight (ww)) with a geometric mean of 0.17. Overall, 30% of individual fish samples and 17% of means by location exceeded the 0.30μg/g ww US EPA fish tissue criterion. Fish THg concentrations differed among habitat types, with riverine habitats consistently higher than lacustrine habitats. Importantly, fish THg concentrations were not correlated with sediment THg concentrations at a watershed scale, but were weakly correlated with sediment MeHg concentrations, suggesting that factors influencing MeHg production may be more important than inorganic Hg loading for determining fish MeHg exposure. There was large heterogeneity in fish THg concentrations across the landscape; THg concentrations were generally higher in semi-arid and arid regions such as the Great Basin and Desert Southwest, than in temperate forests. Results suggest that fish mercury exposure is widespread throughout Western US and Canada, and that species, habitat type, and region play an important role in influencing ecological risk of mercury in aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin A Eagles-Smith
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
| | - Joshua T Ackerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620, USA
| | - James J Willacker
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Michael T Tate
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Water Science Center, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, WI 53562, USA
| | - Michelle A Lutz
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Water Science Center, 8505 Research Way, Middleton, WI 53562, USA
| | - Jacob A Fleck
- U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, 6000 J St. Placer Hall, Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
| | - A Robin Stewart
- U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - James G Wiener
- University of Wisconsin La Crosse, River Studies Center, 1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI 54601, USA
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME 04103, USA
| | - Jesse M Lepak
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Jay A Davis
- San Francisco Estuary Institute, 4911 Central Ave, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
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Meng F, Xu H, Yao X, Qin X, Jiang T, Gao S, Zhang Y, Yang D, Liu X. Mercury detection based on label-free and isothermal enzyme-free amplified fluorescence platform. Talanta 2016; 162:368-373. [PMID: 27837842 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2016] [Revised: 09/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A novel and convenient biosensor for Mercury (II) detection was developed based on toehold-mediated strand displacement isothermal enzyme-free amplification (EFA) technology and label-free fluorescence platform using Sybr Green Ι (SG) and graphene oxide (GO). The method is highly sensitive and selective, and the logarithmically related Hg2+ linearity range is from 0.1 to 50nM with a detection limit 0.091nM. Moreover, our strategy is simple, enzyme-free, and inexpensive and can be applied to detect spiked Hg2+ in environmental water samples with good recovery and accuracy, which demonstrates that the biosensor has a good potential in the environment surveys in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanbin Meng
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Hui Xu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China.
| | - Xue Yao
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Xuan Qin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China
| | - Tingting Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Shanmin Gao
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Yahui Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Di Yang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
| | - Xia Liu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
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48
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Carravieri A, Cherel Y, Jaeger A, Churlaud C, Bustamante P. Penguins as bioindicators of mercury contamination in the southern Indian Ocean: geographical and temporal trends. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2016; 213:195-205. [PMID: 26896669 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Revised: 01/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Penguins have been recently identified as useful bioindicators of mercury (Hg) transfer to food webs in the Southern Ocean over different spatial and temporal scales. Here, feather Hg concentrations were measured in adults and chicks of all the seven penguin species breeding in the southern Indian Ocean, over a large latitudinal gradient spanning Antarctic, subantarctic and subtropical sites. Hg was also measured in feathers of museum specimens of penguins collected at the same sites in the 1950s and 1970s. Our aim was to evaluate geographical and historical variations in Hg transfer to penguins, while accounting for feeding habits by using the stable isotope technique (δ(13)C, habitat; δ(15)N, diet/trophic level). Adult feather Hg concentrations in contemporary individuals ranged from 0.7 ± 0.2 to 5.9 ± 1.9 μg g(-1) dw in Adélie and gentoo penguins, respectively. Inter-specific differences in Hg accumulation were strong among both adults and chicks, and mainly linked to feeding habits. Overall, penguin species that feed in Antarctic waters had lower feather Hg concentrations than those that feed in subantarctic and subtropical waters, irrespective of age class and dietary group, suggesting different Hg incorporation into food webs depending on the water mass. While accounting for feeding habits, we detected different temporal variations in feather Hg concentrations depending on species. Notably, the subantarctic gentoo and macaroni penguins had higher Hg burdens in the contemporary rather than in the historical sample, despite similar or lower trophic levels, respectively. Whereas increases in Hg deposition have been recently documented in the Southern Hemisphere, future monitoring is highly needed to confirm or not this temporal trend in penguins, especially in the context of actual changing Hg emission patterns and global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Carravieri
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France; Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
| | - Yves Cherel
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Audrey Jaeger
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 79360 Villiers-en-Bois, France; Ecologie Marine Tropicale des Océans Pacifique et Indien (ENTROPIE), UMR 9220 UR-CNRS-IRD, Université de la Réunion, 15 Avenue René Cassin, 97744 Saint Denis, La Réunion, France
| | - Carine Churlaud
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000 La Rochelle, France
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Bond AL, Hobson KA, Branfireun BA. Rapidly increasing methyl mercury in endangered ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea) feathers over a 130 year record. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:rspb.2015.0032. [PMID: 25788594 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is increasing in marine food webs, especially at high latitudes. The bioaccumulation and biomagnification of methyl mercury (MeHg) has serious effects on wildlife, and is most evident in apex predators. The MeHg body burden in birds is the balance of ingestion and excretion, and MeHg in feathers is an effective indicator of overall MeHg burden. Ivory gulls (Pagophila eburnea), which consume ice-associated prey and scavenge marine mammal carcasses, have the highest egg Hg concentrations of any Arctic bird, and the species has declined by more than 80% since the 1980s in Canada. We used feathers from museum specimens from the Canadian Arctic and western Greenland to assess whether exposure to MeHg by ivory gulls increased from 1877 to 2007. Based on constant feather stable-isotope (δ(13)C, δ(15)N) values, there was no significant change in ivory gulls' diet over this period, but feather MeHg concentrations increased 45× (from 0.09 to 4.11 µg g(-1) in adults). This dramatic change in the absence of a dietary shift is clear evidence of the impact of anthropogenic Hg on this high-latitude threatened species. Bioavailable Hg is expected to increase in the Arctic, raising concern for continued population declines in high-latitude species that are far from sources of environmental contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Bond
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2 Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 3H5
| | - Keith A Hobson
- Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 3H5
| | - Brian A Branfireun
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environment and Sustainability, Western University, Biological and Geological Sciences Building, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
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50
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Finger A, Lavers JL, Dann P, Nugegoda D, Orbell JD, Robertson B, Scarpaci C. The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) as an indicator of coastal trace metal pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2015; 205:365-377. [PMID: 26160534 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring trace metal and metalloid concentrations in marine animals is important for their conservation and could also reliably reflect pollution levels in their marine ecosystems. Concentrations vary across tissue types, with implications for reliable monitoring. We sampled blood and moulted feathers of the Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) from three distinct colonies, which are subject to varying levels of anthropogenic impact. Non-essential trace metal and metalloid concentrations in Little Penguins were clearly linked to the level of industrialisation adjacent to the respective foraging zones. This trend was more distinct in blood than in moulted feathers, although we found a clear correlation between blood and feathers for mercury, lead and iron. This study represents the first reported examination of trace metals and metalloids in the blood of any penguin species and demonstrates that this high trophic feeder is an effective bioindicator of coastal pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annett Finger
- Victoria University, Institute for Sustainability & Innovation, Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia.
| | - Jennifer L Lavers
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia
| | - Peter Dann
- Phillip Island Nature Parks, Research Department, PO Box 97, Cowes, Victoria 3922, Australia
| | - Dayanthi Nugegoda
- RMIT University, School of Applied Science, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - John D Orbell
- Victoria University, Institute for Sustainability & Innovation, Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia
| | - Bruce Robertson
- Department of Environmental Management and Ecology, LaTrobe University, Wodonga, Victoria 3689, Australia
| | - Carol Scarpaci
- Victoria University, Institute for Sustainability & Innovation, Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia
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