This review aims to give all-inclusive précis of key roles of wild birds as bioindicators of contamination using theoretical and empirical evidence provided in different literature and its influence on conservation. Over the years wild birds have been used as bioindicators of contamination globally. Are wild birds suitable for measuring heavy metal pollution? Bioindicators are species used to appraise the health conditions of the environment and they are capable of determining the environmental integrity if their functions and populations are put into consideration. Birds are good indicators because they are very easy to detect and their presence is easy to observe in any environment or if the habitat does not fulfill the ecological requirements, as they are equipped with the ability of flight so that they will leave the environment. Apart from that, in classification individual species are easy to identify with their wide distribution. Heavy metals are essential elements for organisms but may be toxic with high level, affecting productive function and behavioural features and equally heavy metals can easily be accumulated and biomagnified through food or food web. Therefore, using birds as bioindicators is a function of properties of interest and resources available for ecological evaluation which promotes conservation of bird species for impending generation.
An investigation to determine cadmium concentration in Black-headed oriole Oriolus brachyrhynchus was carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). The organs are feather, liver heart, skin, nestling feather, egg and the carcass. A total of 30 birds were caught using mist net and 150 of these organs were obtained, whereas 9 eggs and 9 nestling were collected from different nest in the study locations. The concentration measured in mg/kg in the organs from the various locations Buruku, Daudu and Adega were compared using descriptive statistics. Cadmium concentration in the feather has the highest mean value of 4.26±0.59mg/kg in Daudu in the liver; 4.58±0.49mg/kg in Buruku, heart; 3.65±1.13mg/kg in Buruku and in skin; 0.41±0.35mg/kg in Buruku whereas carcass has 6.68±0.63mg/kg in Buruku. Equally, cadmium concentration in egg; 0.10±0.01mg/kg was highest in Daudu and nestling feather; 4.19±0.33mg/kg in Buruku. A very significant correlation (r 2 = 0.778) existed between feathers and carcass (P˂0.01), r 2 = 0.662 between weight of feather and heart (P˂0.05). Furthermore, a negative correlation (r 2 = -0.702) existed between weight of skin and heart (P˂0.05), and (r 2 = -0.723) between liver and skin (P˂0.05). Cadmium concentration in maize was highest 3.72±0.49mg/kg in Daudu and in rice; 1.53±0.04 mg/kg in Buruku while 3.76±1.46mg/kg in Daudu. In soil and water cadmium concentration was highest 6.04±0.19mg/kg and 0.07±0.1mg/l in Buruku respectively. The reason for high cadmium concentrations in the species from this study is due to agricultural activities such as application of fertilizer, production of bricks, bush burning and emission from exhaust of vehicles. However this call for concern since the permissible limit for wild birds has been exceeded.
An investigation of chromium toxicity in the wild population of black-headed oriole Oriolus brachyrhynchus (swainson, 1837) using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS)
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.