Evidence from two shale regions that a riparian songbird accumulates metals associated with hydraulic fracturing

Latta, Steven C.; Marshall, Leesia C; Frantz, Mack W.; Toms, Judith D.

doi:10.1890/es14-00406.1

Cited by 30 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Similar digestion methods have previously been used to analyse feathers (Latta et al . ) and toenails (Amaral et al . ; Davis et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Digestion was performed with open polypropylene vessels in a microwave digester reaching a temperature of 105°C (Beck, Hopkins & Jackson 2013). Similar digestion methods have previously been used to analyse feathers (Latta et al 2015) and toenails (Amaral et al 2012;Davis et al 2014;Freeman et al 2015;Punshon et al 2015). Total concentration of 14 trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, La, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn and Zn) were measured by Agilent 8800 ICP-MS (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA).…”

Section: Feathersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing environmental pollution in birds: a new methodological approach for interpreting bioaccumulation of trace elements in feather shafts using geochemical sediment data

Borghesi¹,

Dinelli²,

Migani³

et al. 2016

Methods Ecol Evol

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Environmental trace element composition can have an important impact on ecosystem and population health as well individual fitness. Therefore, carefully assessing bioaccumulation of trace elements is central to studies investigating the ecological impact of pollution. Colonial birds are important bioindicators since non‐invasive sampling can easily be achieved through sampling of chick feathers, which controls for some confounding factors of variability (age and environmental heterogeneity). However, an additional confounding factor, external contamination (ExCo), which remains even after washing feathers, has frequently been overlooked in the literature. We developed a new method to reliably interpret bioaccumulation of 10 trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn and Zn) in feathers using chicks of a colonial species: the Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus. First, only shafts were used to remove ExCo retained in vanes. Secondly, we applied a thorough washing procedure. Thirdly, we applied a new analytical method to control for ExCo, which assumes that ExCo is mainly due to adhered sediment particles and that the relative concentration of each trace element will be similar to the sediment geochemical composition of sampling sites. We validated this new methodology by comparing trace element composition and particle composition (by scanning electron microscopy and mass spectrometry) of washed and unwashed feathers. The washing procedure removed >99% of K indicating that most of the ExCo from salt was removed. Scanning electron microscopy and mass spectrometry revealed that some sediment particles remained after washing, especially clays which are likely to severely bias bioaccumulation interpretation. We successfully controlled for ExCo by calculating the ratio of ExCo due to sediment using the geochemical fingerprint of sediment samples. Our methodology leads to conservative estimates of bioaccumulation for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, Sn and Zn. We have validated a new more reliable method of analysing trace element concentrations in feathers, which effectively controls for ExCo, if geochemical sediment data can be meaningfully compared to ExCo of feathers. We have demonstrated that overlooking ExCo leads to potentially erroneous conclusions, and we urge that the method applied in this study be considered in future studies.

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“…Similar digestion methods have previously been used to analyse feathers (Latta et al . ) and toenails (Amaral et al . ; Davis et al .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Feathersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing environmental pollution in birds: a new methodological approach for interpreting bioaccumulation of trace elements in feather shafts using geochemical sediment data

Borghesi¹,

Dinelli²,

Migani³

et al. 2016

Methods Ecol Evol

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“…This is one of the potential effects of shale gas development on bird populations. Other effects that we did not address in this study include effects of noise from compressors, lights, and potential exposure to contaminants (Habib et al 2007, Latta et al 2015.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird community response to Marcellus shale gas development

2016

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The Appalachian shale play, which includes the Marcellus shale formation, is an important source of natural gas and underlies much of the remaining large areas of extensive contiguous forest within the eastern United States, areas that are important breeding sites for forest songbirds. Shale gas development in contiguous forest creates large disturbances and causes habitat fragmentation; the landscape matrix remains characterized by stands of mature forest. We assessed the effects of shale gas development on counts of passerines and near‐ passerine birds within an extensively forested landscape. We surveyed birds within 2 broad forest types (northern hardwood and mixed oak) at increasing distances from 49 shale gas pads established within contiguous forest habitat. We compared counts of individual species and 3 vegetation‐association groups (forest interior, synanthropic, and early successional) in relation to distance from a pad edge, and we compared community composition with distance from a pad edge. Counts of individuals and species within the forest interior group increased with increasing distance from a pad edge; counts of individuals were approximately 4 times greater at 250 m than at 0 m and 3 times greater than at 50 m. Twelve of 15 species in the forest interior group increased with increasing distance from a pad edge with no species showing a declining trend. In contrast, counts of synanthropic (i.e., human‐associated) individuals and species were greatest at the pad edge and declined with distance to a pad edge. Counts of individuals at 250 m were 92% lower than at 0 m, and counts for 4 of the 5 individual species declined with increasing distance from a pad edge. Counts of individuals and species within the early successional habitat group were greater in oak (Quercus spp.) than in northern hardwood forests, and the response to a pad edge differed among species and between the 2 forest types. In northern hardwood stands, counts were greatest near the pad edge, whereas counts in oak stands showed no trend with distance to a pad edge. Overall, the combined avian community differed with distance from a pad edge. Our results suggest that synanthropic species, which are rare in core forest, are able to rapidly exploit new development‐associated habitat. Counts of forest interior specialists declined, suggesting the habitat is becoming less suitable for this group. Our results are an early indication that shale gas development in core forest can have negative consequences for forest songbird communities as synanthropic species, which tend to be habitat generalists with wide geographic ranges, replace forest specialists. Long‐term effects will depend on the scale and extent of shale gas development, emphasizing the need for proactive planning to minimize negative effects. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.

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“…Between 2008 and 2018, a total of 15 939 shale gas wells were developed at 5674 sites across the Marcellus‐Utica shale basin (Jacquet et al 2018), with 3175 wells developed in West Virginia (WVDEP 2019). The hydraulic fracturing process used to extract natural gas (Mongelli 2018) presents environmental challenges to wildlife (Brittingham et al 2014) and watersheds (Latta et al 2015), especially as implementation of fracturing is outpacing the ability to implement best management practices that avoid risks to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife communities and their habitat (Brittingham et al 2014).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Epigenetic response of Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla to shale gas development

Frantz

Wood

Latta³

et al. 2020

Ibis

Self Cite

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Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation may vary in response to environmental stressors and introduce adaptive or maladaptive gene expression within and among wild bird populations. We examined the association between DNA methylation and demographic characteristics of the Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla in territories with and without disturbance from shale gas development in a Central Appalachian watershed during 2013–2015. We also evaluated the degree to which an individual’s methylated state was subject to change across years in individuals that returned over the course of more than one breeding season (i.e. recaptures). Overall, population methylation differed between adult male and female Waterthrush where adult males generally had fewer methylated restriction sites. Methylation also differed between adult females and nestlings. Age influenced methylation in both adult males and females with a decrease in methylation with age, although adult female recaptures had increased methylation with age. Adult males were variably methylated between shale gas undisturbed and disturbed areas at a population and restriction site (i.e. loci) level, where restriction sites were predominately less methylated in shale gas‐disturbed areas. Barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) data from 2013 feather samples showed adult males had fewer methylated sites at higher concentrations of Ba and Sr, whereas nestlings displayed no correlation of methylation to Ba and Sr concentrations. Adult females displayed increased methylation with increased Sr, a trend also seen year to year in adult female recaptures. Overall, results of our study suggest sex‐specific influences of shale gas development on gene expression that may affect long‐term population survival and fitness.

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Evidence from two shale regions that a riparian songbird accumulates metals associated with hydraulic fracturing

Cited by 30 publications

References 26 publications

Assessing environmental pollution in birds: a new methodological approach for interpreting bioaccumulation of trace elements in feather shafts using geochemical sediment data

Assessing environmental pollution in birds: a new methodological approach for interpreting bioaccumulation of trace elements in feather shafts using geochemical sediment data

Bird community response to Marcellus shale gas development

Epigenetic response of Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla to shale gas development

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