Review of contaminant levels and effects in shorebirds: Knowledge gaps and conservation priorities

Ma, Yanju; Choi, Chi‐Yeung; Thomas, Alex; Gibson, Luke

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113868

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 130 publications

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“…Hargreaves et al (2010) examined 17 different elements present in Arctic-breeding shorebirds and found that Hg was elevated to potentially harmful concentrations. Aside from this study, mercury has also been found to occur in harmful concentrations in Charadrius plovers (Picone et al, 2019;Su et al, 2020), underscoring the need for more extensive pollutant-burden analyses in shorebirds (Ma, Choi, Thomas, & Gibson, 2022). This is especially necessary in shorebirds as they may be more susceptible to pollution due to the physical stresses from migration (Liess, Foit, Knillmann, Schäfer, & Liess, 2016), and their propensity to forage in soft coastal sediments where pollutants can accrue at much higher concentrations than the surrounding water (Stark, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Immature foraging proficiency is often lower than adult birds resulting in differences in strategy and prey choice (Groves, 1978;Puttick, 1979), which might result in higher susceptibility to pollutants such as pharmaceuticals, as well as antimicrobial resistant pathogens in the environment. Additionally, legacy POPs may also pose a threat to shorebirds (Ma et al, 2022), and these have not been included in the current study. More studies are required in these fields about the health of shorebirds to complete our understanding of the effects of wastewater on contamination in shorebirds.…”

Section: Considerations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of contaminants, health and survival of migratory shorebirds in natural versus artificial wetlands – The potential of wastewater treatment plants as alternative habitats

Ross

Zhang

Wille

et al. 2023

Science of The Total Environment

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Considerations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of contaminants, health and survival of migratory shorebirds in natural versus artificial wetlands – The potential of wastewater treatment plants as alternative habitats

Ross

Zhang

Wille

et al. 2023

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Waterbirds, particularly shorebirds (order Charadriiformes), strongly depend on coastal wetlands along their migratory routes as critical habitats. Unfortunately, these waterbird populations are facing alarming declines primarily attributable to a multitude of threats, such as hunting (Gallo-Cajiao et al, 2020), pollution (Ma et al, 2022), and habitat loss (Zhang et al, 2018) and degradation (Ma et al, 2014;Studds et al, 2017) and other forms of unsustainable use such as wetland reclamation (Yang et al, 2020). The imperative to ensure the conservation of migratory bird populations and effectively address the challenges faced by transboundary migrants calls for the urgent establishment of a comprehensive continental network of wetland sites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying the wetlands of international importance in Beibu Gulf along the East Asian – Australasian Flyway, based on multiple citizen science datasets

Tang,

Ma,

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The Beibu Gulf (Gulf of Tonkin, Vinh Bac Bo in Vietnamese), located midway along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), is a critical stopover and wintering region for migratory waterbirds. This transboundary coastal region, spanning between China and Vietnam, harbors diverse wetland habitats that provide refuge to waterbird species, including highly threatened species such as the spoon-billed sandpiper (CR) and the black-faced spoonbill (EN). However, the scarcity of comprehensive assessments regarding waterbird abundances, distribution, key wetland habitats, and regional threats hinders our understanding of its conservation significance at the flyway level. Further research is needed to address these knowledge gaps and facilitate effective conservation efforts in the Beibu Gulf. By synthesizing accessible citizen science datasets and published records from wetland sites in south China and northeast Vietnam, we concluded that at least 97 waterbird species used the Gulf’s wetlands during their annual cycle. Among surveys conducted from 2014 to 2022, 6 and 13 waterbird species were considered as first and second class protected species under the National Key Protected Wild Animal List in China; 2 species were listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, 5 as Endangered and 2 as Vulnerable, underlying the critical importance of the Beibu Gulf for the survival of these species. Our study identified 25 sites in the Beibu Gulf that met the criteria for designation as internationally important wetlands. Alarmingly, less than a quarter (n = 6, or 24%) of these sites benefit from national or international protection. Localized threats, including aquatic resource harvesting, hunting, and aquaculture/fisheries, were widespread in the region. This study provides a crucial scientific baseline for continued waterbird monitoring, site prioritization, and the development of effective habitat management plans to conserve vital coastal wetland habitats in the Beibu Gulf in China and Vietnam.

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“…Migrating birds may be particularly vulnerable to toxicant ingestion since they must rapidly gain mass at unfamiliar stopover locations to replenish fat and lean mass catabolized during flight (Bairlein and Gwinner 1994, Klaassen et al 2012, Seewagen et al 2016, Seewagen 2020). While migrating birds may be exposed to a variety of contaminants (Tanabe et al 1998, Henkel et al 2012, Bianchini and Morrissey 2018, Richard et al 2021, Ma et al 2022), we focus on two widespread and well-studied classes—insecticides and heavy metals—as examples of the sublethal effects of environmental contaminants on migrating birds.…”

Section: Anthropogenic Threat Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than mortality: Consequences of human activity on migrating birds extend beyond direct mortality

Nemes

Cabrera‐Cruz

Anderson

et al. 2023

Ornithological Applications

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Birds must contend with an array of anthropogenic threats during their migratory journeys. Many migrants are killed due to encounters with artificial light, introduced species, pollutants, and other anthropogenic hazards, while survivors of these encounters can suffer longer-lasting negative effects. The nonlethal effects of anthropogenic threats on migrating birds are less well understood than direct mortality, yet both potentially contribute to population declines. For example, building collisions frequently kill migrating birds, but the numbers of migrants that survive with an impaired ability to fly, refuel, or navigate to their destination on time is not well understood. Though not immediately fatal, such injuries can lead to delayed mortality and, ultimately, reduced lifetime reproductive success. Furthermore, migrants are likely to encounter multiple threats on their journeys, which can interact synergistically to further reduce fitness. For instance, light pollution attracts and disorients migrants, increasing the likelihood of window strikes, and surviving birds may be more vulnerable to predation from introduced predators. While considerable attention has focused on the lethal effects of anthropogenic threats, here, we review nonlethal effects of 8 types of threats during migration, their interactions, and the pathways through which they can exert fitness costs. In doing so, we identify knowledge gaps and suggest areas for future research. In the absence of more information, we propose that the greatest reduction in the cumulative lethal and nonlethal impacts of anthropogenic hazards will be achieved by addressing threat types, like artificial light at night, that interact with and compound the impact of additional threats. Direct mortality from anthropogenic sources is recognized as a key driver of population declines, but a full understanding of the impacts of human activity on migrating birds must include the cumulative and interacting effects that extend beyond immediate mortality en route to influence overall migration success and lifetime fitness.

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Review of contaminant levels and effects in shorebirds: Knowledge gaps and conservation priorities

Cited by 16 publications

References 130 publications

Assessment of contaminants, health and survival of migratory shorebirds in natural versus artificial wetlands – The potential of wastewater treatment plants as alternative habitats

Assessment of contaminants, health and survival of migratory shorebirds in natural versus artificial wetlands – The potential of wastewater treatment plants as alternative habitats

Identifying the wetlands of international importance in Beibu Gulf along the East Asian – Australasian Flyway, based on multiple citizen science datasets

More than mortality: Consequences of human activity on migrating birds extend beyond direct mortality

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