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Elevated mercury exposure in bird communities inhabiting Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining landscapes of the southeastern Peruvian Amazon.
Pisconte, Jessica N; Vega, Claudia M; Sayers, Christopher J; Sevillano-Ríos, C Steven; Pillaca, Martin; Quispe, Edwin; Tejeda, Vania; Ascorra, Cesar; Silman, Miles R; Fernandez, Luis E.
Afiliación
  • Pisconte JN; Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Perú. pisconj@wfu.edu.
  • Vega CM; Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Perú.
  • Sayers CJ; Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability, and Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-, Salem, NC, 27106, USA.
  • Sevillano-Ríos CS; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
  • Pillaca M; Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad - CORBIDI, Lima, Peru.
  • Quispe E; Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Perú.
  • Tejeda V; Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Perú.
  • Ascorra C; World Wildlife Fund-Peru, Trinidad Moran 853, Lima 14, Lima, Peru.
  • Silman MR; Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Perú.
  • Fernandez LE; Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA), Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, 17000, Perú.
Ecotoxicology ; 33(4-5): 472-483, 2024 Jul.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38363482
ABSTRACT
Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) represents a significant source of anthropogenic mercury emissions to the environment, with potentially severe implications for avian biodiversity. In the Madre de Dios department of the southern Peruvian Amazon, ASGM activities have created landscapes marred by deforestation and post-mining water bodies (mining ponds) with notable methylation potential. While data on Hg contamination in terrestrial wildlife remains limited, this study measures Hg exposure in several terrestrial bird species as bioindicators. Total Hg (THg) levels in feathers from birds near water bodies, including mining ponds associated with ASGM areas and oxbow lakes, were analyzed. Our results showed significantly higher Hg concentrations in birds from ASGM sites with mean ± SD of 3.14 ± 7.97 µg/g (range 0.27 to 72.75 µg/g, n = 312) compared to control sites with a mean of 0.47 ± 0.42 µg/g (range 0.04 to 1.89 µg/g, n = 52). Factors such as trophic guilds, ASGM presence, and water body area significantly influenced feather Hg concentrations. Notably, piscivorous birds exhibited the highest Hg concentration (31.03 ± 25.25 µg/g, n = 12) exceeding known concentrations that affect reproductive success, where one measurement of Chloroceryle americana (Green kingfisher; 72.7 µg/g) is among the highest ever reported in South America. This research quantifies Hg exposure in avian communities in Amazonian regions affected by ASGM, highlighting potential risks to regional bird populations.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Aves / Monitoreo del Ambiente / Oro / Mercurio / Minería Límite: Animals País/Región como asunto: America do sul / Peru Idioma: En Revista: Ecotoxicology Asunto de la revista: SAUDE AMBIENTAL / TOXICOLOGIA Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos
Texto completo
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Aves / Monitoreo del Ambiente / Oro / Mercurio / Minería Límite: Animals País/Región como asunto: America do sul / Peru Idioma: En Revista: Ecotoxicology Asunto de la revista: SAUDE AMBIENTAL / TOXICOLOGIA Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Estados Unidos