Explaining variation in Colorado songbird blood mercury using migratory behavior, foraging guild, and diet

Knutsen, Carley J.; Varian-Ramos, Claire W.

doi:10.1007/s10646-019-02141-y

Cited by 10 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 35 publications

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“…For example, exposure during bird migration was implicated as the source of elevated contaminant levels in species breeding in the Arctic (Baert et al, 2013; Leat et al, 2013) and the Antarctic regions (Corsolini et al, 2011). Comparisons between migratory and nonmigratory species (Knutsen & Varian‐Ramos, 2020; Roscales et al, 2019; Wild et al, 2022) or partial migrant populations (Morrissey et al, 2004) has further revealed distinct exposure profiles suggesting that migratory movements can predict exposure source and intensity.…”

Section: Ecological Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing exposure assessment approaches to improve wildlife risk assessment

Morrissey

Fritsch

Fremlin

et al. 2023

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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The exposure assessment component of a Wildlife Ecological Risk Assessment aims to estimate the magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure to a chemical or environmental contaminant, along with characteristics of the exposed population. This can be challenging in wildlife as there is often high uncertainty and error caused by broad‐based, interspecific extrapolation and assumptions often because of a lack of data. Both the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have broadly directed exposure assessments to include estimates of the quantity (dose or concentration), frequency, and duration of exposure to a contaminant of interest while considering “all relevant factors.” This ambiguity in the inclusion or exclusion of specific factors (e.g., individual and species‐specific biology, diet, or proportion time in treated or contaminated area) can significantly influence the overall risk characterization. In this review, we identify four discrete categories of complexity that should be considered in an exposure assessment—chemical, environmental, organismal, and ecological. These may require more data, but a degree of inclusion at all stages of the risk assessment is critical to moving beyond screening‐level methods that have a high degree of uncertainty and suffer from conservatism and a lack of realism. We demonstrate that there are many existing and emerging scientific tools and cross‐cutting solutions for tackling exposure complexity. To foster greater application of these methods in wildlife exposure assessments, we present a new framework for risk assessors to construct an “exposure matrix.” Using three case studies, we illustrate how the matrix can better inform, integrate, and more transparently communicate the important elements of complexity and realism in exposure assessments for wildlife. Modernizing wildlife exposure assessments is long overdue and will require improved collaboration, data sharing, application of standardized exposure scenarios, better communication of assumptions and uncertainty, and postregulatory tracking. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;00:1–25. © 2023 SETAC

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Section: Ecological Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing exposure assessment approaches to improve wildlife risk assessment

Morrissey

Fritsch

Fremlin

et al. 2023

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Effects of Lead (Pb) from Smelter Operations in an Urban Terrestrial Food Chain at a Colorado Superfund Site

Peterson,

Carsella,

Varian-Ramos

et al. 2023

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

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The impact of mercury on North American songbirds: effects, trends, and predictive factors

Cristol

Evers

2020

Ecotoxicology

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Researchers were asked to contribute new results addressing questions about the exposure and effects of mercury (Hg) in North American songbirds, a rapidly declining group of species that is the subject of enduring interest for millions of birdwatchers, the general public and conservation scientists. Important questions to be answered include: Is Hg causing or exacerbating songbird population declines? Which North American songbirds are at most risk and in which landscapes? Are there aspects of songbird natural history that pre-dispose them to risks of Hg exposure and effects, in particular, their migratory behavior? In all, 61 authors contributed 15 studies addressing aspects of these questions. Articles in this special issue address an array of topics including: (1) three studies on health effects in the laboratory using a domesticated songbird model species, the zebra finch; (2) three studies on changes in songbird exposure to Hg over time spans from less than a decade to more than a century; (3) five studies on landscape characteristics or management practices that cause the oft-noted spatial variation in Hg accumulation by resident songbirds, from the subarctic tundra to high-elevation tropical forests; (4) three papers examining the recently recognized role of migration behavior in predicting risk to songbirds from Hg; and (5) one paper on the potential pitfalls of using feather Hg concentration as a bioindicator for Hg exposure. In summary, although there are many questions still to be answered, it is clear that the effects of Hg are persistent long after exposure, Hg exposure of North American songbirds is not improving, predicting exposure requires a detailed understanding of ecosystem processes beyond simply the amount of Hg present at a site, migration behavior predisposes songbirds to risk of Hg exposure and effects, and carefully selecting appropriate bioindicator sites, species, and tissues is critical to any monitoring efforts.

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Explaining variation in Colorado songbird blood mercury using migratory behavior, foraging guild, and diet

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

Advancing exposure assessment approaches to improve wildlife risk assessment

Advancing exposure assessment approaches to improve wildlife risk assessment

Effects of Lead (Pb) from Smelter Operations in an Urban Terrestrial Food Chain at a Colorado Superfund Site

The impact of mercury on North American songbirds: effects, trends, and predictive factors

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