Mercury and lead exposure in avian scavengers from the Pacific Northwest suggest risks to California condors: Implications for reintroduction and recovery

Herring, Garth; Eagles‐Smith, Collin A.; Varland, Daniel E.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.09.005

Cited by 23 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The use of Black Vultures has been suggested as a potential solution for understanding lead contamination in the environment and in other species (Behmke et al ) and might be seen as useful for a species such as the Andean Condor, which has a huge home‐range (they may fly more than 350 km in a day; Lambertucci et al ), where permission to trap can be difficult to acquire and where large numbers of samples can be impossible to obtain. However, our results agree with a recent study on Common Ravens Corvus corax and Turkey Vultures suggesting that use of surrogate species may underestimate lead contamination for California Condors Gymnogyps californianus in the Pacific Northwest, USA (Herring et al ), as has been suggested for other surrogate species for other types of threats (Sergio et al , Henry et al ). Therefore, it is important to avoid management decisions based on inadequate surrogates, which could produce more harm than good for conservation of endangered species (Henry et al ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Comparison of lead contamination among related scavenging birds sharing food sources: a call for caution when using surrogate species

Plaza

Wiemeyer

Lambertucci

2020

Ibis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lead contamination is a global problem affecting a large number of bird species around the world. Among the different avian guilds, vultures and facultative scavengers are particularly threatened by this toxic metal. However, little information is available about differences in exposure to this metal for sympatric vulture species that share food resources. We compared blood lead concentrations of two closely related sympatric obligate scavenger species, the abundant Black Vulture Coragyps atratus and the threatened Andean Condor Vultur gryphus in north‐western Patagonia, Argentina. We sampled 28 Andean Condors and 29 Black Vultures trapped foraging in the same area in the steppe. We also sampled 16 Black Vultures foraging in a rubbish dump to determine whether there were differences in lead contamination among foraging sites. Andean Condors had significantly higher mean blood lead concentrations than Black Vultures. There was no difference in lead concentrations between Black Vultures trapped in the steppe and in the rubbish dump. The prevalence and probability of lead concentrations above the threshold level (20 µg/dL) was higher for Andean Condors than for Black Vultures, potentially producing different effects on their health. This disparity in lead contamination may be due to differences in their foraging habits or in their susceptibility to this toxic metal. Overall, our results suggest caution in using an abundant surrogate species to infer lead contamination in a closely related but harder to sample species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Comparison of lead contamination among related scavenging birds sharing food sources: a call for caution when using surrogate species

Plaza

Wiemeyer

Lambertucci

2020

Ibis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We did not find any evidence of a correlative relationship between Hg and corticosterone in chats. Studies on Turkey Vultures ( Cathartes aura ) and Zebra Finches have also failed to find an increase in corticosterone with increasing Hg levels (Moore et al 2014 ; Maddux et al 2015 ; Herring et al 2018 ). In contrast, a negative correlative relationship between corticosterone and Hg was detected in Forster’s Terns ( Sterna forsteri , Herring et al 2012 ) and Tree Swallows (Franceschini et al 2009 ), where high Hg levels correlated with low baseline corticosterone levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, a negative correlative relationship between corticosterone and Hg was detected in Forster's Terns (Sterna forsteri, Herring et al 2012) and Tree Swallows (Franceschini et al 2009), where high Hg levels correlated with low baseline corticosterone levels. The true association between these chemicals is unclear as results are inconsistent between studies (Whitney and Cristol 2017b) and may also be related to additional environmental contaminants, such as lead (Herring et al 2018).…”

Section: Relationship Between Hg and Corticosteronementioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury toxicity risk and corticosterone levels across the breeding range of the Yellow-breasted Chat

Mancuso

Hodges

Grosselet³

et al. 2022

Ecotoxicology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mercury (Hg) is an environmental contaminant that can negatively impact human and wildlife health. For songbirds, Hg risk may be elevated near riparian habitats due to the transfer of methylmercury (MeHg) from aquatic to terrestrial food webs. We measured Hg levels in tail feathers sampled across the breeding range of the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens), a riparian songbird species of conservation concern. We assessed the risk of Hg toxicity based on published benchmarks. Simultaneously, we measured corticosterone, a hormone implicated in the stress response system, released via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. To better understand range-wide trends in Hg and corticosterone, we examined whether age, sex, subspecies, or range position were important predictors. Lastly, we examined whether Hg and corticosterone were correlated. Hg levels in chats were relatively low: 0.30 ± 0.02 µg/g dry weight. 148 out of 150 (98.6%) had Hg levels considered background, and 2 (1.6%) had levels considered low toxicity risk. Hg levels were similar between sexes and subspecies. Younger chats (<1 year) had higher Hg levels than older chats (>1 year). Hg levels were lowest in the northern and central portion of the eastern subspecies’ range. Corticosterone concentrations in feathers averaged 3.68 ± 0.23 pg/mm. Corticosterone levels were similar between ages and sexes. Western chats had higher levels of corticosterone than eastern chats. Hg and corticosterone were not correlated, suggesting these low Hg burdens did not affect the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Altogether, the chat has low Hg toxicity risk across its breeding range, despite living in riparian habitats.

show abstract

“…7 Whitetailed eagles and California condors also face death from Pb poisoning. 8,9 Reports of high Pb levels in chickens, especially free-range chickens (also called backyard chickens), can be found in the northeastern United States, Nigeria, Zambia, and China. 10−14 Thus, it can be inferred that high blood Pb contents in humans may be due to the accumulation of Pb in chickens.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is estimated that in Europe, Pb poisoning kills 1 million wild birds every year and causes sublethal poisoning in another 3 million birds . White-tailed eagles and California condors also face death from Pb poisoning. , Reports of high Pb levels in chickens, especially free-range chickens (also called backyard chickens), can be found in the northeastern United States, Nigeria, Zambia, and China. − Thus, it can be inferred that high blood Pb contents in humans may be due to the accumulation of Pb in chickens. Therefore, from the perspectives of human health and animal welfare, it is necessary to study the mechanism of Pb poisoning and effective protective substances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quercetin and Allicin Can Alleviate the Hepatotoxicity of Lead (Pb) through the PI3K Signaling Pathway

Cai

Cao

Bai

et al. 2021

J. Agric. Food Chem.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lead (Pb) is a common toxic heavy metal pollutant in the environment that seriously endangers the health of animals. The liver is a key target organ affected by Pb toxicity. Plant extracts allicin and quercetin have a strong antioxidant capacity that can promote the excretion of heavy metals by improving the body’s antioxidant defense and chelating heavy metal ions. To explore the preventive and therapeutic effects of allicin and quercetin on Pb poisoning in chickens, 96 chickens were randomly divided into eight groups: control, Pb, allicin, quercetin, allicin + quercetin, Pb + allicin, Pb + quercetin, and Pb + allicin + quercetin groups. The chickens were given feed containing the above treatments for 90 days. The results indicated that Pb can affect the growth and development of the liver, damage the circulatory system, destroy the structure of mitochondria and nuclei in liver cells, cause an imbalance in the oxidation system, inhibit PI3K protein, and activate the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Allicin and quercetin, alone or in combination, can improve the antioxidant capacity of the liver and alleviate liver tissue damage caused by Pb. In summary, allicin and quercetin could alleviate oxidative damage and apoptosis in the Pb-poisoned chicken liver through the PI3K signaling pathway, with stronger effects achieved by their combination.

show abstract

Mercury and lead exposure in avian scavengers from the Pacific Northwest suggest risks to California condors: Implications for reintroduction and recovery

Cited by 23 publications

References 70 publications

Comparison of lead contamination among related scavenging birds sharing food sources: a call for caution when using surrogate species

Comparison of lead contamination among related scavenging birds sharing food sources: a call for caution when using surrogate species

Mercury toxicity risk and corticosterone levels across the breeding range of the Yellow-breasted Chat

Quercetin and Allicin Can Alleviate the Hepatotoxicity of Lead (Pb) through the PI3K Signaling Pathway

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About