期刊
INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
卷 17, 期 2, 页码 398-410出版社
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4341
关键词
Mercury; Stable isotopes; Foraging ecology; Migration; Avian
资金
- US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) [F16AC00214, F11AP00081, F11AP00515]
- USFWS Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act [F16AP01000]
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program [NA16NOS4190119]
- University of Minnesota
- Thesis Research Travel Grant
- EVCAA Research and Scholarship Grant
- Regents Scholarship Program
- University of Minnesota Conservation Sciences graduate program travel grant
- Minnesota Ornithologists' Union
- Natural Resources Research Institute
- Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
- USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture [1007020]
- Environmental Protection Agency Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division
- Minnesota department of Natural Resources
- Wisconsin department of Natural Resources
- Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid-in-Restoration Act
Populations of common terns breeding at inland lakes in North America are declining due to mercury exposure. The study found that season, sex, colony location, and foraging behavior influenced mercury exposure in terns.
Some populations of common terns (Sterna hirundo) breeding at inland lakes in North America are declining, including the Laurentian Great Lakes. Terns nesting at inland colonies forage in freshwater during the breeding season and primarily in coastal marine environments during the nonbreeding season. As piscivores, they are susceptible to dietary Hg exposure. To characterize patterns of Hg exposure in this population, we 1) quantified within and among season differences in total mercury (THg) concentrations (mu g/g) in blood and feathers at 2 Lake Superior breeding colonies, and 2) documented spatial and temporal variation in exposure by studying adult foraging ecology using geospatial tracking devices and stable isotopes. We used general linear models to assess the relationship between isotopic composition and THg concentrations in bird tissues relative to sex, age, colony location, and season. The THg concentrations were lowest in winter-grown feathers (geometric mean [95% confidence limits]): 1.32 (1.09-1.59) mu g/g dw (n = 60), higher at the more industrially influenced colony (chick feathers: 4.95 [4.62-5.37] mu g/g dw [n = 20]), and increased with a riverine-based diet. During the breeding season, Hg exposure varied along a gradient from lake to river, with adult females having lower blood THg concentrations than males (females: 0.83 [0.67-1.03]) mu g/g ww (n = 7); males: 1.15 (0.92-1.45) mu g/g ww (n = 5). Stable isotope values suggested adults obtained 42 +/- 12% (n = 12) of their diet from the river during incubation, which was validated with tracking data. During chick-rearing, chicks obtained 68 +/- 19% (n = 44) of their diet from the river. Our results indicate colony location, foraging behavior, and season influenced Hg exposure for these Lake Superior colonies and underscores the importance of local contamination with respect to exposure. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;00:1-13. (c) 2020 SETAC
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