Arsenic and lead contamination in soil and in feathers of three resident passerine species in a semi-arid mining region of the Mexican plateau

Abstract

The current study aimed at quantifying arsenic and lead in feathers from three passerine species that are residents from areas exposed to mining activities (Toxostoma curvirostre, Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, and Melozone fusca). Lead and As contents in bird feathers and in superficial soil samples were measured with AAS. Levels of these metals were compared between sites exposed and unexposed to mining. Possible correlations of As and Pb between superficial soil and bird feathers were also investigated. Soil metal concentrations were significantly higher near mining sites, and metal concentrations in bird feathers showed a behavior similar to those recorded for soil samples. Individual birds from polluted sites had higher mean feather metal concentrations in comparison with non-polluted sites; no differences in metal concentrations were recorded among bird species. This work constitutes a basis for monitoring contaminants, and for future toxicological studies attempting to understand the impact that some mining activities may have on bird populations.

Effects of Ecological Gradients on Tropical Avian Hemoparasites

“…Due to the simultaneous effects of pollutants on both vectors and hosts, the resulting effect is difficult to predict and may vary among bird and vector species depending on the physiological ability to fight infection and to resist exposure to a specific substance. An additional factor to be considered is the combination of different types of pollutants in the environment, and the interacting effects that they may have (Chapa-Vargas et al 2010;Monzalvo-Santos et al 2016). The number of studies investigating effects of pollutants on prevalence and infection intensity is very low (reviewed in Valkiūnas 2005), particularly in tropical areas (see Santiago-Alarcon and Delgado-V 2017).…”

Feathers of Bulbulcus ibis (L.) as a non-destructive biomonitoring tool for assessment of lead pollution: A case study from various severely contaminated wetland habitats

“…Talcher is an urban area with a high coal mining effect. Due to the high pollution effect from coal mining and industries, the accumulation of Pb is very high in cattle egrets here [23]. The highest amount of lead with 45µg/g found here from feathers of cattle egret.…”

Intoxicação por chumbo: conflitos ambientais na América do Sul e perspectiva sob a conservação de aves silvestres

“…Alguns dos sinais clínicos mais frequentemente relatados por diversos autores incluem anemia, emagrecimento, incoordenação, mudança de comportamento, asas caídas, paralisia do trato digestivo, convulsões, amaurose, vocalizações, letargia e dispneia, podendo afetar a aptidão, capacidade de voo e a performance do animal (Ecke, et al, 2017;Krone, 2018;Manning, et al, 2018;Romero, et al, 2019;Monclús, et al, 2020;Hurtado, et al, 2020). Além disso, os efeitos no sistema reprodutivo incluem alteração no tamanho dos ovos e interferência no desenvolvimento embrionário e da ninhada (Monzalvo-Santos, et al, 2016;Yang, et al, 2020).…”

“…As penas e ossos são considerados os melhores tecidos para avaliar a contaminação e exposição crônica por Pb (Monzalvo-Santos, et al, 2016;Kruger & Amar, 2018). Monzalvo-Santos et al (2016) analisaram as concentrações de Pb em amostras de solo e penas de passeriformes residentes em áreas expostas e não expostas à mineração no México. As concentrações de chumbo nas penas variaram de acordo com as concentrações no solo, sendo mais elevadas em áreas próximas à mineração.…”