Effects of Dietary Methyl Mercury on Red-Tailed Hawks

Fimreite, Norvald; Karstad, L.

doi:10.2307/3799603

Cited by 92 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Elevated Hg levels previously have been documented in several bald eagles from CHSTL (Jagoe et al, 2002), as well as throughout the Southeast (Wood et al, 1996). Two eagles in our study had kidney Hg levels .40 ppm, and Hg toxicosis has been reported in red-tailed hawks with liver levels of 16.7-20.0 ppm (Fimreite and Karstad, 1971). Additionally, vacuolization of central and peripheral nervous system has been observed with Hg toxicosis in birds (Heinz, 1996).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy Outbreaks at a Southeastern Reservoir

Fischer

Lewis-Weis

Tate

et al. 2006

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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ABSTRACT:Avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM) is a neurologic disease of unknown etiology that affects bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), American coots (Fulica americana), and several species of waterfowl. An unidentified neurotoxin is suspected as the cause of AVM, which has been documented at several reservoirs in the southeastern United States. We conducted diagnostic and epidemiologic studies annually during October-March from 1998-2004 at Clarks Hill/Strom Thurmond Lake on the Georgia/South Carolina border to better understand the disease. Avian vacuolar myelinopathy was confirmed or suspected as the cause of morbidity and mortality of 28 bald eagles, 16 Canada geese (Branta canadensis), six American coots, two great-horned owls (Bubo virginianus), and one killdeer (Charadrius vociferus). Active surveillance during the outbreaks yielded annual average prevalence of vacuolar lesions in 17-94% of coots, but not in 10 beavers (Castor canadensis), four raccoons (Procyon lotor), and one gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) collected for the study. Brain lesions were not apparent in 30 Canada geese collected and examined in June 2002. The outbreaks at this location from 1998-2004 represent the most significant AVM-related bald eagle mortality since the Arkansas epornitics of 1994-95 and 1996-97, as well as the first confirmation of the disease in members of Strigiformes and Charadriiformes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy Outbreaks at a Southeastern Reservoir

Fischer

Lewis-Weis

Tate

et al. 2006

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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“…Bird species in which the effects of Hg are well known from laboratory studies include the mallard (Anas platyrhychos) (Heinz 1979) and ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) (Fimreite 1971). Symptoms of mercury exposure in birds include decreases in reproductive success, behavioral changes such as a reduction in time spent hunting, and neurological problems such as brain lesions, spinal-cord degeneration, and tremors (Evers 2005).…”

Section: Aquatic Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

Lovett

Tear

Evers

et al. 2009

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

184

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Conservation organizations have most often focused on land-use change, climate change, and invasive species as prime threats to biodiversity conservation. Although air pollution is an acknowledged widespread problem, it is rarely considered in conservation planning or management. In this synthesis, the state of scientific knowledge on the effects of air pollution on plants and animals in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States is summarized. Four air pollutants (sulfur, nitrogen, ozone, and mercury) and eight ecosystem types ranging from estuaries to alpine tundra are considered. Effects of air pollution were identified, with varying levels of certainty, in all the ecosystem types examined. None of these ecosystem types is free of the impacts of air pollution, and most are affected by multiple pollutants. In aquatic ecosystems, effects of acidity, nitrogen, and mercury on organisms and biogeochemical processes are well documented. Air pollution causes or contributes to acidification of lakes, eutrophication of estuaries and coastal waters, and mercury bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs. In terrestrial ecosystems, the effects of air pollution on biogeochemical cycling are also very well documented, but the effects on most organisms and the interaction of air pollution with other stressors are less well understood. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence for effects of nitrogen deposition on plants in grasslands, alpine areas, and bogs, and for nitrogen effects on forest mycorrhizae. Soil acidification is widespread in forest ecosystems across the eastern United States and is likely to affect the composition and function of forests in acid-sensitive areas over the long term. Ozone is known to cause reductions in photosynthesis in many terrestrial plant species. For the most part, the effects of these pollutants are chronic, not acute, at the exposure levels common in the eastern United States. Mortality is often observed only at experimentally elevated exposure levels or in combination with other stresses such as drought, freezing, or pathogens. The notable exceptions are the acid/aluminum effects on aquatic organisms, which can be lethal at levels of acidity observed in many surface waters in the region. Although the effects are often subtle, they are important to biological conservation. Changes in species composition caused by terrestrial or aquatic acidification or eutrophication can propagate throughout the food webs to affect many organisms beyond those that are directly sensitive to the pollution. Likewise, sublethal 100Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences doses of toxic pollutants may reduce the reproductive success of the affected organisms or make them more susceptible to potentially lethal pathogens. Many serious gaps in knowledge that warrant further research were identified. Among those gaps are the effects of acidification, ozone, and mercury on alpine systems, effects of nitrogen on species composition of forests, effects of mercury in terrestrial food webs, interactiv...

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“…Growth was decreased and mortality increased among leghorn cockerels fed diets containing 6 to 18 ppm MeHg (Fimreite 1970). Ring-necked pheasants fed diets of MeHg-treated grains displayed reduced egg production and hatchability and laid more shell-less eggs than controls (Fimreite 1971). Heinz (1979) fed mallard ducks a diet containing 0.5 ppm MeHg for three generations.…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

Remedial investigation/feasibility study of the Clinch River/Poplar Creek Operable Unit. Volume 3. Risk assessment information. Appendixes E, F

1996

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Effects of Dietary Methyl Mercury on Red-Tailed Hawks

Cited by 92 publications

References 3 publications

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy Outbreaks at a Southeastern Reservoir

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy Outbreaks at a Southeastern Reservoir

Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States

Remedial investigation/feasibility study of the Clinch River/Poplar Creek Operable Unit. Volume 3. Risk assessment information. Appendixes E, F

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