Comparison of the levels of total and organic mercury in seabird feathers

Thompson, David R.; Furness, Robert W.

doi:10.1016/0025-326x(89)90361-5

Cited by 181 publications

(104 citation statements)

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“…Subsequently metals are delivered to target organs or sequestered in feathers (Braune 1987;Lewis and Furness 1991) or other tissues. Kim et al (1996) recently suggested that some pelagic seabirds (albatrosses and petrels) are capable of demethylating methylmercury in the liver, and storing it as an immobilizable inorganic form, however the mercury in feathers is almost 100 % methylmercury (Thompson et al 1991). Heavy metals in the feathers represent circulating concentrations in the blood during the few weeks of feather formation, which in turn represents both local exposure and mobilization from internal tissues (Monteiro 1996).…”

Section: Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium in feathers in bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and comparison with common eider (Somateria mollissima), glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens), pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba), and tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) from the Aleutian Chain of Alaska

Burger

Gochfeld

2008

Environ Monit Assess

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Comparison of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium in feathers in bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and comparison with common eider (Somateria mollissima), glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens), pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba), and tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) from the Aleutian Chain of Alaska AbstractThere is an abundance of field data for levels of metals from a range of places, but relatively few from the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. In this paper we examine the levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium in feathers from common eiders (Somateria mollissima), glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens), pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba), tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from the Aleutian Chain of Alaska. Our primary objective was to test the hypothesis that there are no trophic levels relationships for arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium among these five species of birds breeding in the marine environment of the Aleutians. There were significant interspecific differences in all metal levels. As predicted bald eagles had the highest levels of arsenic, chromium, lead, and manganese, but puffins had the highest levels of selenium, and pigeon guillemot had higher levels of mercury than eagles (although the differences were not significant). Common eiders, at the lowest trophic level had the lowest levels of some metals (chromium, mercury and selenium). However, eiders had higher levels than all other species (except eagles) for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and manganese. Levels of lead were higher in breast than in wing feathers of bald eagles. Except for lead, there were no significant differences in metal levels in feathers of bald eagles nesting on Adak and Amchitka Island; lead was higher on Adak than Amchitka. Eagle chicks tended to have lower levels of manganese than older eagles.

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Section: Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium in feathers in bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and comparison with common eider (Somateria mollissima), glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens), pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba), and tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) from the Aleutian Chain of Alaska

Burger

Gochfeld

2008

Environ Monit Assess

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“…Further, Thompson et al (1991) showed that essentially 100% of the mercury in feathers and muscle is methylmercury. Metals enter feathers during the 2-3 weeks it takes for them to grow, then the blood supply atrophies and there is no further uptake of metals (Burger, 1993;Thompson et al, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium in feathers of Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) from Prince William Sound, Alaska

Burger

Gochfeld

Sullivan

et al. 2008

Science of The Total Environment

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Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury and selenium were analyzed in the feathers of Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) from Shoup Bay in Prince William Sound, Alaska to determine if there were age-related differences in metal levels, and in Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani)) from the same region to determine if there were differences in oiled and unoiled birds. Except for mercury, there were no age-related differences in metals levels in the feathers of kittiwakes. Kittiwakes over 13 years of age had the highest levels of mercury. There were no differences in levels of metals in the feathers of oystercatchers from oiled and unoiled regions of Prince William Sound. Except for mercury, the feathers of oystercatchers had significantly higher levels of all metals than those of kittiwakes. Levels of mercury in kittiwake feathers (mean of 2910 ng/g [ppb]) were within the range of many species of seabirds reported for other studies, and were generally below adverse effects levels.

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“…Exposure of avifauna to bioavailable Hg may thereby be studied reliably through feathers from dated, preserved skins. Virtually all of the diet-derived Hg incorporated into feathers is in the form of MeHg (12). Consequently, total Hg is often measured to estimate MeHg as a more cost-effective alternative to direct MeHg quantification.…”

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confidence: 99%

Temporal increase in organic mercury in an endangered pelagic seabird assessed by century-old museum specimens

Bank²,

Shine³

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Methylmercury cycling in the Pacific Ocean has garnered significant attention in recent years, especially with regard to rising mercury emissions from Asia. Uncertainty exists concerning whether increases in anthropogenic emissions over time may have caused increased mercury bioaccumulation in the biota. To address this, we measured total mercury and, for a subset of samples, methylmercury (the bioaccumulated form of mercury) in museum feathers from an endangered seabird, the black-footed albatross (Phoebastria nigripes), spanning a 120-y period. We analyzed stable isotopes of nitrogen (δ 15 N) and carbon (δ 13 C) to control for temporal changes in trophic structure and diet. In post-1940 and -1990 feathers, we detected significantly higher mean methylmercury concentrations and higher proportions of samples exhibiting above deleterious threshold levels (∼40,000 ng·g −1 ) of methylmercury relative to prior time points, suggesting that mercury toxicity may undermine reproductive effort in the species. We also found higher levels of (presumably curator-mediated) inorganic mercury in older specimens of albatross as well as two nonpelagic species lacking historical exposure to bioavailable mercury, patterns suggesting that studies on bioaccumulation should measure methylmercury rather than total mercury when using museum collections. δ 15 N contributed substantially to models explaining the observed methylmercury variation. After simultaneously controlling for significant trends in δ 13 C over time and δ 15 N with methylmercury exposure, year remained a significant independent covariate with feather methylmercury levels among the albatrosses. These data show that remote seabird colonies in the Pacific basin exhibit temporal changes in methylmercury levels consistent with historical global and recent regional increases in anthropogenic emissions.Asian emissions | ecotoxicology | fisheries | global change | mercury contamination

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Comparison of the levels of total and organic mercury in seabird feathers

Cited by 181 publications

References 10 publications

Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium in feathers of Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) from Prince William Sound, Alaska

Temporal increase in organic mercury in an endangered pelagic seabird assessed by century-old museum specimens

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