Mercury exposure and reproduction in fish‐eating birds breeding in the Pinchi Lake region, British Columbia, Canada
Mercury exposure and reproduction in fish‐eating birds breeding in the Pinchi Lake region, British Columbia, Canada
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DOI：
10.1897/05-181r.1
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发表时间：
2006-05
影响因子：
4.1
通讯作者：
S. Weech;A. Scheuhammer;J. Elliott
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
S. Weech;A. Scheuhammer;J. Elliott
为了确定 Pinchi 湖（加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省）地质/采矿相关来源的汞是否导致汞暴露升高和/或对食鱼鸟类的繁殖产生不利影响，对 Pinchi 湖和附近四个参考湖中繁殖的秃鹰 (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 进行了血液和羽毛汞浓度采样，并在 2000 年、2001 年和 2002 年夏季监测繁殖成功率。还收集并分析了红颈鷉鷉（Podiceps grisgena）。即使几十年来平奇湖没有大量新的汞输入，平奇湖不同营养级物种的汞含量平均约为附近湖泊相同物种总和的两倍。在平奇湖中，鹰和鸊鷉鱼卵的血液和羽毛中的汞浓度显着高于参考湖相应样品中的汞浓度。然而，平奇湖鷊鷉蛋中的平均汞浓度（0.25微克/克湿重）远低于大多数鸟类可接受的生殖毒性阈值（0.5-1.0微克/克湿重）。成年鹰及其雏鸟血液中的汞浓度高度相关（r = 0.91，p = 0.004）。尽管在 Pinchi 湖筑巢的成年鹰的汞暴露量较高（血汞浓度为 4.3–9.4 μg/ml），但鸟类似乎身体状况良好，体重与在参考湖筑巢的鹰没有显着差异，并且没有表现出明显异常行为或缺乏协调的证据。平奇湖上的鹰繁殖成功率和生产力与所有参考湖泊的总和没有显着差异（p = 0.483）。
To determine whether Hg from geologic/mining‐related sources at Pinchi Lake (BC, Canada) was causing elevated Hg exposure and/or adversely affecting reproduction in fish‐eating birds, breeding bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) on Pinchi Lake and four nearby reference lakes were sampled for blood and feather Hg concentrations and monitored for reproductive success during the summers of 2000, 2001, and 2002. Eggs of red‐necked grebes (Podiceps grisgena) also were collected and analyzed. Mercury levels in species at various trophic levels from Pinchi Lake averaged approximately twice those in the same species from nearby lakes combined, even in the absence of substantial new inputs of Hg to Pinchi Lake over several decades. In Pinchi Lake, Hg concentrations in blood and feathers of eagles and eggs of grebes were significantly higher than those in corresponding samples from reference lakes. However, the mean Hg concentration (0.25 μg/g wet wt) in grebe eggs from Pinchi Lake was substantially lower than accepted threshold levels for reproductive toxicity in most avian species (0.5–1.0 μg/g wet wt). Mercury concentrations in the blood of adult eagles and their chicks were highly correlated (r = 0.91, p = 0.004). Despite elevated Hg exposure in adult eagles nesting on Pinchi Lake (blood Hg concentration, 4.3–9.4 μg/ml), birds appeared to be in good body condition, did not differ significantly in terms of weight from eagles nesting on reference lakes, and exhibited no evidence of obvious abnormal behavior or lack of coordination. Eagle reproductive success and productivity on Pinchi Lake were not significantly different from those on all reference lakes combined (p = 0.483).