Mercury in breeding saltmarsh sparrows (Ammodramus caudacutus caudacutus) |
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Authors: | Lane Oksana P O’Brien Kathleen M Evers David C Hodgman Thomas P Major Andrew Pau Nancy Ducey Mark J Taylor Robert Perry Deborah |
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Institution: | (1) BioDiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Rd, Gorham, ME 04038, USA;(2) US Fish and Wildlife Service, Rachel Carson NWR, 321 Port Rd., Wells, ME 04090, USA;(3) Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 650 State St., Bangor, ME 04401, USA;(4) US Fish and Wildlife Service, 70 Commercial St., Concord, NH 03301, USA;(5) US Fish and Wildlife Service, Parker River NWR, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport, MA 01950, USA;(6) Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, 114 James Hall, Durham, NH 03824, USA;(7) Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Public Health, Trace Element Research Lab, VMA Bldg. Room 107, College Station, TX 77843, USA |
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Abstract: | Environmental mercury exposure of birds through atmospheric deposition and watershed point-source contamination is an issue
of increasing concern globally. The saltmarsh sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) is of high conservation concern throughout its range and the potential threat of mercury exposure adds to other anthropogenic
stressors, including sea level rise. To assess methylmercury exposure we sampled blood of the northern nominal subspecies
of saltmarsh sparrows (A. c. caudacutus) nesting in 21 tidal marshes throughout most of the species’ breeding range. Blood of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) was sampled concurrently at three of these sites to provide a comparison with a well-studied songbird that is a model species
in ecotoxicology. Arithmetic means (±1 SD) ranged from 0.24 ± 0.06 μg g−1 wet weight (ww) in Connecticut to 1.80 ± 0.14 μg g−1 ww in Massachusetts, differing significantly among sites. Comparison to tree swallows indicates that mercury exposure is
significantly higher in saltmarsh sparrows, making them a more appropriate bioindicator for assessing risk to methylmercury
toxicity in tidal marsh ecosystems. |
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