Mercury in tree swallow food, eggs, bodies, and feathers at Acadia National Park, Maine, and an EPA Superfund site, Ayer, Massachusetts
Longcore JR, Haines TA, Halteman WA. 2007. Mercury in tree swallow food, eggs, bodies, and feathers at Acadia National Park, Maine, and an EPA Superfund site, Ayer, Massachusetts. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 126(1-3):129-143
We monitored nest boxes during 1997-1999 at Acadia National Park, MEand two other sites in Maine to determine mercury (Hg) uptake in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs, tissues, and food boluses. On average among locations, total mercury (THg) biomagnified 2 to 4-fold from food to eggs and 9 to 18-fold from food to feathers. These are minimum values because the proportion of transferable methyl mercury (MeHg) of the THg in insects varies (i.e., 35%-95% of THg) in food boluses. THg was highest in food boluses at Aunt Betty Pond at Acadia, whereas THg in eggs was highest at the Superfund site. A few eggs from nests at each of these locations exceeded the threshold (i.e., 800-1,000 ng/g, wet wt.) of embryotoxicity established for Hg. Hatching success was 88.9% to 100% among locations, but five eggs failed to hatch from 4 of the 11 clutches in which an egg exceeded this threshold. MeHg in feathers was highest in tree swallows at Aunt Betty Pond and the concentration of THg in bodies was related to the concentration in feathers.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Longcore, J.; Haines, T.; Halteman, W.
- Units
- ACAD , ARD
- Keywords
- Acadia National Park, ARD_Park-Air-Info_Collection, Assessment, Aunt Betty Pond, Bioaccumulants, biological integrity, Biomagnification, Contaminants, Contamination, Deposition, Eggs, Embryotoxicity, Evaluation, fledging success, Hatching Success, Health, Hodgdon Pond, Inventory, LAKE, Mercury, Mercury (Hg), methyl mercury, Monitoring, Mount Desert Island, Nests & Nesting, Pollution, Pond, Seal Cove Pond, Swallows, Terrestrial, Toxicology, Toxics