Influence of Ingested Lead on Body Mass of Wintering Canvasbacks

Hohman, William L.; Pritchert, Ronald D.; Pace, Richard M.; Woolington, Dennis W.; Helm, Robert

doi:10.2307/3809031

Cited by 31 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…Several studies found reduced body mass in waterfowl exposed to sub-lethal lead levels (Hohman et al 1990;Locke and Thomas 1996;Friend 1999;Franson and Pain 2011). This emaciation is thought to result from chronic lead exposure, which causes anorexia (Friend, 1999;De Francisco et al 2003;Rodriguez et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

et al. 2015

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Numerous experiments under controlled conditions and extensive investigation of waterfowl die-offs have demonstrated that exposure to lead from spent gunshot is highly detrimental to the health of waterfowl. However, few studies have focused on examining the more subtle sub-lethal effects of lead toxicity on ducks in non-experimental settings. In our study, the health of ducks exposed to varying amounts of lead under natural conditions was assessed by correlating individual lead exposure with relevant indices of health. Based on hunter-killed wild ducks in Argentina, we measured spleen mass, body condition, examined bone marrow smears, and determined Ca and P in bone tissue. In free-ranging live-trapped ducks we determined basic hematology and aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity. Using multivariate analyses, we found that, when controlling for the potential confounding effect of site type, year, duck species, body mass and age, lead levels in the liver were negatively associated with body condition and spleen mass. Spleen mass was also lower in ducks with higher lead levels in their bones. In live ducks, high blood lead levels were associated with low packed cell volume and red cell morphologic abnormalities. These findings suggest that, despite the lack of recorded lead-induced mortality in the region, lead exposure results in less conspicuous but still significant impacts on the health of ducks, which could have serious implications for their conservation. Moreover, this evidence further supports the need for urgently banning lead shot in the region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…body weight loss, anaemia) (Finley et al 1976; Pain and Rattner 1988;Pain 1989;Hohman et al 1990;Franson and Pain 2011) extremely little is known about these more subtle impacts under natural conditions (Pokras and Kneeland 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

et al. 2015

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“…Loss of body condition due to lead exposure has been shown to reduce breeding success, which must be considered together with mortality (Sanderson and Bellrose 1986;Hohman et al 1990;Havera et al 1992). In fact, the wintering common pochard, the species showing a highest prevalence of lead exposure in Spain, has declined by 70% in the last 20 years in western Mediterranean (Rose 1995).…”

Section: Lead Pellets Exposurementioning

confidence: 97%

High Prevalences of Lead Poisoning in Wintering Waterfowl in Spain

Mateo

Belliure²,

Dolz³

et al. 1998

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

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Some Mediterranean wetlands are found between the areas with the highest prevalence of lead pellet exposure for waterfowl in the world. To assess the situation in Spain, availability of pellets in sediments and rates of ingestion by waterfowl were determined in four important wetlands: Albufera de València, El Fondo, Tablas de Daimiel, and Doñana (Guadalquivir Marshes). Lead pellet density in sediment was maximum in the Albufera, with 2.8 million pellets/ha. In Tablas de Daimiel, where hunting was banned in 1965, about 1.0 million pellets/ha were found. Percentages of shot waterfowl with ingested pellets were maximum in the wetlands on the Mediterranean coast (El Fondo and Albufera de València): 87.5% of common pochard (Aythya ferina) and approximately 33% of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and shoveler (Anas clypeata) contained ingested pellets. It was found that mallards with > 5 µg/g dry weight of lead in the liver had 8.5% lower body condition and 7.7% less body weight than birds with lower lead concentrations. Moreover, lead poisoning was diagnosed as the cause of death in 16 out of 75 birds, mainly greylag geese (Anser anser), found dead in some of these zones.

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“…Similarly, Mateo et al (1999) were not able to establish significant correlations between PbB concentrations and an index of body condition (mass/wing length) in lead-exposed marsh harriers (Circus aeruginosus). This is in contrast to what has been observed in some species where body mass or nutritional condition was shown to decrease following ingestion of lead (Mautino and Bell, 1986;Hohman et al, 1990;Franson et al, 1995). This phenomenon is further substantiated by necropsy studies of raptors where nutritional condition has been related to lead concentrations in bones or soft tissues (Jager et al, 1996;Pain et al, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Hemograms for and Nutritional Condition of Migrant Bald Eagles Tested for Exposure to Lead

Miller

Wayland

Bortolotti

2001

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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Plasma proteins, hematocrit, differential blood counts were examined and nutritional condition was estimated for bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) trapped (n ϭ 66) during autumn migration, 1994-95 at Galloway Bay (Saskatchewan, Canada), for the purposes of estimating prevalence of exposure to lead. Sex and age differences in hematocrit and plasma proteins were not observed; however, female eagles exhibited larger median absolute heterophil counts than males. Hematologic values were similar to those previously reported from eagles in captivity. Departures from expected hematological values from a healthy population of eagles were not observed in birds with elevated levels of blood lead (Ն0.200 g/ml). Similarly, nutritional condition was not related to blood-lead concentrations. Therefore, it appears that lead exposure in this population was below a threshold required to indicate toxicological alteration in the hematological values and index of nutritional condition that we measured.

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Influence of Ingested Lead on Body Mass of Wintering Canvasbacks

Cited by 31 publications

References 6 publications

Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

Lead exposure affects health indices in free-ranging ducks in Argentina

High Prevalences of Lead Poisoning in Wintering Waterfowl in Spain

Hemograms for and Nutritional Condition of Migrant Bald Eagles Tested for Exposure to Lead

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