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Avian Feathers as Bioindicators of the Exposure to Heavy Metal Contamination of Food |
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| Authors: | Marcin Markowski Adam Kaliński Joanna Skwarska Jarosław Wawrzyniak Mirosława Bańbura Janusz Markowski Piotr Zieliński Jerzy Bańbura |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Experimental Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of ?ód?, Banacha 12/16, 90-237, Lodz, Poland 2. Department of Teacher Training and Biological Diversity Studies, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of ?ód?, Banacha 1/3, 90-237, Lodz, Poland 3. Natural History Museum, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of ?ód?, Kilińskiego 101, 90-011, Lodz, Poland 4. Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of ?ód?, Banacha 12/16, 90-237, Lodz, Poland |
| Abstract: | The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of using feathers of blue tit nestlings to assess the level of endogenous accumulation of lead. For this purpose we conducted an experiment with lead application to randomly chosen nestlings from eight randomly drawn broods. Five days after the exposure, feathers of lead-treated nestlings had significantly higher lead concentrations than control nestlings. This result suggests that feathers can be used as reliable non-destructive bioindicators to assess the level of heavy metals originating from contaminated food, which is of great significance for comparative studies on ecological consequences of pollution. |
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