Have high selenium concentrations in wading birds their origin in mercury?

Goede, A. A.; Wolterbeek, H. Th.

doi:10.1016/0048-9697(94)90443-x

Cited by 22 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Our results agree with this because, in eider blood samples with detectable levels of both selenium and mercury, relatively more selenium was present on a molar basis. The molar ratio of selenium to mercury that we found in eider blood (55:1) was greater than the 36:1 ratio reported in red blood cells of Eurasian oystercatchers [40].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 84%

Selected trace elements and organochlorines: Some findings in blood and eggs of nesting common eiders (Somateria mollissima) from Finland

Franson

Hollmén

Poppenga

et al. 2000

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Abstract-In 1997 and 1998, we collected blood samples from nesting adult female common eiders (Somateria mollissima) at five locations in the Baltic Sea near coastal Finland and analyzed them for lead, selenium, mercury, and arsenic. Eggs were collected from three locations in 1997 for analysis of selenium, mercury, arsenic, and 17 organochlorines (OCs). Mean blood lead concentrations varied by location and year and ranged from 0.02 ppm (residues in blood on wet weight basis) to 0.12 ppm, although one bird had 14.2 ppm lead in its blood. Lead residues in the blood of eiders were positively correlated with the stage of incubation, and lead inhibited the activity of the enzyme delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) in the blood. Selenium concentrations in eider blood varied by location, with means of 1.26 to 2.86 ppm. Median residues of selenium and mercury in eider eggs were 0.55 and 0.10 ppm (residues in eggs on fresh weight basis), respectively, and concentrations of both selenium and mercury in eggs were correlated with those in blood. Median concentrations of p,pЈ-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene in eggs ranged from 13.1 to 29.6 ppb, but all other OCs were below detection limits. The residues of contaminants that we found in eggs were below concentrations generally considered to affect avian reproduction. The negative correlation of ALAD activity with blood lead concentrations is evidence of an adverse physiological effect of lead exposure in this population.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 84%

Selected trace elements and organochlorines: Some findings in blood and eggs of nesting common eiders (Somateria mollissima) from Finland

Franson

Hollmén

Poppenga

et al. 2000

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…This is possibly the reason why the correlation between Hg and Se found here is moderate, and not strong or very strong, as has been reported in several studies involving marine mammals [45-47], since this protection mechanism seems to be inherent to marine mammals [43]. Other studies involving aquatic birds have found a larger quantity of selenium relative to mercury, precluding the 1:1 molar ratio, as in the present study [42,44,48]. …”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 78%

“…In birds, this ratio is almost never found [38,43,44], as in the present study, where a 1:5 ratio was found. This is possibly the reason why the correlation between Hg and Se found here is moderate, and not strong or very strong, as has been reported in several studies involving marine mammals [45-47], since this protection mechanism seems to be inherent to marine mammals [43].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 49%

The Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) as a candidate sentinel of Atlantic Ocean health

Cardoso¹,

Moura

Tavares

et al. 2014

Aquat Biosyst

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IntroductionSeabirds have been historically used to monitor environmental contamination. The aim of the present study was to test the suitability of a species belonging to the Procellariiformes group, the Manx shearwater, Puffinus puffinus, as a sentinel of environmental health, by determining contaminant levels (trace metals and organochlorine compounds) from carcass tissues and by isolating Vibrio spp. and Aeromonas spp. from live specimens. To this end, 35 Puffinus puffinus carcasses wrecked on the north-central coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and two carcasses recovered in Aracruz, on the coast of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, were sampled, and fragments of muscle and hepatic tissues were collected for contaminant analyses. Swabs from eleven birds found alive at the north-central coast of Rio de Janeiro were collected for isolation of the aforementioned bacteria.ResultsThe average concentration in dry weight (dw) of the trace metals were: mercury 7.19 mg kg-1(liver) and 1.23 mg kg-1 (muscle); selenium 34.66 mg kg-1 (liver) and 7.98 mg kg-1 (muscle); cadmium 22.33 mg kg-1 (liver) and 1.11 mg kg-1 (muscle); and lead, 0.1 mg kg--1 (liver) and 0.16 mg kg-1 (muscle). Organochlorine compounds were detected in all specimens, and hexachlorbiphenyls, heptachlorbiphenyls and DDTs presented the highest levels. Regarding microbiological contamination, bacteria from the Vibrio genus were isolated from 91% of the analyzed specimens. Vibrio harveyi was the predominant species. Bacteria from the Aeromonas genus were isolated from 18% of the specimens. Aeromonas sobria was the only identified species.ConclusionsThe results indicate that Puffinus puffinus seems to be a competent ocean health sentinel. Therefore, the monitoring of contaminant levels and the isolation of public health interest bacteria should proceed in order to consolidate this species importance as a sentinel.

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“…Female birds tend to have lower concentrations of mercury in their bodies than males likely because they can depurate mercury from their bodies to their eggs (Peterson and Ellarson 1976; Goede and Wolterbeek 1994; Robinson et al 2012). Egg mercury levels tend to decrease throughout the laying of a clutch, with the first-laid eggs having the highest concentration of mercury and later-laid eggs having less mercury (Becker 1992; Kennamer et al 2005; Akearok et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mercury concentration in the eggs of four Canadian Arctic-breeding shorebirds not predicted based on their population statuses

et al. 2013

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Methylmercury is a toxic form of mercury which persists in food webs for long periods of time and biomagnifies up successive trophic levels. Shorebirds breeding in the Arctic are exposed to methylmercury, derived from both natural and anthropogenic sources, when they ingest their invertebrate prey. Populations of many shorebird species are believed to be declining and one hypothesis for these declines is that they are due to detrimental effects of contaminants, including methylmercury. To test this hypothesis, we assessed mercury contamination in eggs of four Canadian Arctic-breeding shorebird species: black-bellied plover (Pluvialis squatarola), ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), semipalmated plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) and white-rumped sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis). Black-bellied plovers and ruddy turnstones are declining in the western hemisphere, whereas white-rumped sandpipers and semipalmated plovers have stable or slightly increasing populations. We found no relationship between egg mercury concentration and population trend for these four shorebird species. Intraspecific variation in mercury concentration was high. Notably, the mercury concentrations were much higher than levels found in a previous study of eggs of the same shorebird species from this same site, suggesting that mercury contamination may be subject to substantial inter-annual variation in the Canadian Arctic food web.

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Have high selenium concentrations in wading birds their origin in mercury?

Cited by 22 publications

References 20 publications

Selected trace elements and organochlorines: Some findings in blood and eggs of nesting common eiders (Somateria mollissima) from Finland

Selected trace elements and organochlorines: Some findings in blood and eggs of nesting common eiders (Somateria mollissima) from Finland

The Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) as a candidate sentinel of Atlantic Ocean health

Mercury concentration in the eggs of four Canadian Arctic-breeding shorebirds not predicted based on their population statuses

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