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Mercury toxicity risk and corticosterone levels across the breeding range of the Yellow-breasted Chat.
Mancuso, Kristen; Hodges, Karen E; Grosselet, Manuel; Elliott, John E; Alexander, John D; Zanuttig, Michelle; Bishop, Christine A.
Afiliación
  • Mancuso K; Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada. kmancuso88@gmail.com.
  • Hodges KE; Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada.
  • Grosselet M; Tierra de Aves, Veracruz, Mexico.
  • Elliott JE; Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada.
  • Alexander JD; Klamath Bird Observatory, Ashland, OR, USA.
  • Zanuttig M; Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada.
  • Bishop CA; Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada.
Ecotoxicology ; 31(2): 234-250, 2022 Mar.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34973137
Mercury (Hg) is an environmental contaminant that can negatively impact human and wildlife health. For songbirds, Hg risk may be elevated near riparian habitats due to the transfer of methylmercury (MeHg) from aquatic to terrestrial food webs. We measured Hg levels in tail feathers sampled across the breeding range of the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens), a riparian songbird species of conservation concern. We assessed the risk of Hg toxicity based on published benchmarks. Simultaneously, we measured corticosterone, a hormone implicated in the stress response system, released via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. To better understand range-wide trends in Hg and corticosterone, we examined whether age, sex, subspecies, or range position were important predictors. Lastly, we examined whether Hg and corticosterone were correlated. Hg levels in chats were relatively low: 0.30 ± 0.02 µg/g dry weight. 148 out of 150 (98.6%) had Hg levels considered background, and 2 (1.6%) had levels considered low toxicity risk. Hg levels were similar between sexes and subspecies. Younger chats (<1 year) had higher Hg levels than older chats (>1 year). Hg levels were lowest in the northern and central portion of the eastern subspecies' range. Corticosterone concentrations in feathers averaged 3.68 ± 0.23 pg/mm. Corticosterone levels were similar between ages and sexes. Western chats had higher levels of corticosterone than eastern chats. Hg and corticosterone were not correlated, suggesting these low Hg burdens did not affect the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Altogether, the chat has low Hg toxicity risk across its breeding range, despite living in riparian habitats.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Passeriformes / Mercurio / Compuestos de Metilmercurio Tipo de estudio: Etiology_studies / Prognostic_studies / Risk_factors_studies Límite: Animals / Humans Idioma: En Revista: Ecotoxicology Asunto de la revista: SAUDE AMBIENTAL / TOXICOLOGIA Año: 2022 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Canadá Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos
Texto completo
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Passeriformes / Mercurio / Compuestos de Metilmercurio Tipo de estudio: Etiology_studies / Prognostic_studies / Risk_factors_studies Límite: Animals / Humans Idioma: En Revista: Ecotoxicology Asunto de la revista: SAUDE AMBIENTAL / TOXICOLOGIA Año: 2022 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Canadá Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos