Chlororganische Rückstände in Eiern des Fischadlers (Pandion haliaetus) aus Deutschland

Abstract

Summary Organochlorine residues in German Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) eggs Residues of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were investigated in 17 unhatched eggs of German Ospreys. The samples had been collected in the federal states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg‐West Pomerania in north‐eastern Germany in 1992 and 1995. Further, size and shell thickness were measured and shell index calculated for 338 osprey eggs collected in Germany between 1853 and 1997. In all 17 samples, residues of p,p'‐DDE and PCBs were found with a mean of 8.7 ppm (mg/kg dry weight) and 14.8 ppm respectively. In the eggs collected from 1959 to 1983, the shell index was found to be reduced by 9 % in comparison with those from 1853 to 1933 (n = 24). Four clutches collected from 1959 to 1964 showed an average reduction of the shell index of 14 %. Egg size (length, width, volume) however, remained unchanged. At present, the effect of organochlorine residues on the reproduction of Ospreys breeding in Germany is estimated to be low. Today, shell thickness and shell index values almost equal those of the pre‐DDT‐era.

Long-term investigation of the degree of exposure of German peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) to damaging chemicals from the environment

“…The temporary decline of whitetailed eagle, Eurasian sparrowhawk and osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as a result of biocides is comprehensively documented. Reference is made to work by Oehme (1987), Oehme and Manowsky (1991), Kenntner (2002), Helander et al (2002) on the white-tailed eagle; Bednarek et al (1975), Newton (1986), Gedeon and Oehme (1993), Weber et al (1997), Denker et al (2001) on Eurasian sparrowhawk and Wiemeyer et al (1988), Weber et al (2003) on the osprey. In comparison, species which hunt small mammals such as common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus), red kite (Milvus milvus) and lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina), are and were contaminated to a much lesser extent, biocide burdens being more than an order of magnitude smaller and thus uncritical (Conrad 1977;Ho¨lker 2002;Weber et al 1996Weber et al , 1998.…”

“…According to Wiemeyer et al (1988) and Lindberg et al (1983) mercury content in excess of 2.5 lg/g d.w. in eggs of certain bird species leads to reproductive disruption due to increased embryo toxicity (see also Weber et al 2003). Oehme (2003) believes the threshold value for white-tailed eagle to be about 5-7 lg/g d.w.…”

Differential migration by age and sex in central European Ospreys Pandion haliaetus

“…Breeding Ospreys vanished in West Germany in 1963, while a small population persisted in the former East Germany. Since the mid-1970s, the population has gradually recovered due to the ban on pesticides (Weber et al 2003). The breeding range of Ospreys in Germany today is expanding west-and southwards (Bai et al 2009), although 95% of the breeding population is still confined in the eastern federal states of MecklenburgVorpommern, Brandenburg, Sachsen and Sachsen-Anhalt (Schmidt 2010).…”

Distribution pattern of an expanding Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) population in a changing environment

“…The last breeding Osprey in the former West Germany vanished in 1963, while a diminished eastern population persisted. Since the mid-1970s, the ban on pesticides (Weber et al 2003) and hunting led to the population's recovery. This was reflected both in its increasing population density and expanding spatial distribution (Schmidt 2001(Schmidt , 2004).…”