Heavy metal concentrations in great blue heron fecal castings in Washington State: A technique for monitoring regional and global trends in environmental contaminants

Fitzner, R.E.; Gray, Robert H.; Hinds, W.T.

doi:10.1007/bf00206678

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…However, further research is necessary to determine whether metal levels in excrement of great and blue tit nestlings reflect the metal concentrations in the food items (Spahn and Sherry 1999). Previous studies have also reported detectable levels of lead, cadmium, and zinc in excrement of great tit nestlings , little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) chicks (Spahn and Sherry 1999), and great blue heron (Ardea herodius) chicks (Fitzner et al 1995). The zinc levels in excrement in our study are comparable with those reported by , who found zinc levels up to 525 ppm in the excrement of great tit nestlings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…On the basis of trophic-level considerations it can be expected that levels in insectivorous passerines are lower than in piscivorous birds, such as herons (Burger et al 1999). Lead and cadmium concentrations reported by Fitzner et al (1995) were, respectively, 6 ppm and 0.5 ppm, whereas Spahn and Sherry (1999) found 1.59 ppm and 0.11 ppm of lead and cadmium, respectively, in guano. Lead and cadmium levels at the polluted site in our study were markedly higher, which suggests a high contamination of lead and cadmium at the polluted site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Excrement has been used to a much lesser extent than internal organs or feathers in biomonitoring studies. Yet metal levels in excrement appear to be a sensitive indicator of heavy metals in the environment (Fitzner et al 1995;Nyholm 1996;Spahn and Sherry 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

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Can Excrement and Feathers of Nestling Songbirds Be Used as Biomonitors for Heavy Metal Pollution?

Dauwe

Bervoets

Blust

et al. 2000

Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.

186

104

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Although birds have been frequently used as indicators of heavy metal pollution, few studies have examined pollutant levels in nestling passerines. In this paper we determined the levels of two essential (zinc and copper) and three nonessential heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and arsenic) in the excrement and feathers of great (Parus major) and blue tit (Parus caeruleus) nestlings at a polluted site (near a metallurgic factory) and a reference site (4 km farther east). The excrement of both great and blue tit nestlings contained significantly higher concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, and lead at the polluted site. Zinc concentrations did not differ significantly between sites for both species. The feathers of great and blue tit nestlings accumulated significantly higher concentrations of lead at the polluted site than at the reference site. Zinc levels in the feathers of great tit nestlings were significantly higher at the reference site than at the polluted site. For all other elements considered, concentrations did not differ significantly between the two sites. There were no interspecific differences in metal levels between great and blue tits in both excrement and feathers. There was a significant positive correlation between the lead concentration in the excrement and feathers for both great and blue tits. We therefore conclude that excrement of great and blue tit nestlings can be used as a biomonitor for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, and copper), whereas feathers appear only to be suitable as a biomonitor for lead pollution.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Can Excrement and Feathers of Nestling Songbirds Be Used as Biomonitors for Heavy Metal Pollution?

Dauwe

Bervoets

Blust

et al. 2000

Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.

186

104

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…They could be a sensitive indicator of heavy metals and As pollution in continental as well as in polar regions (Fitzner et al 1995;Dauwe et al 2000;Sun et al 2000;Sun and Xie 2001;Ancora et al 2002;Xie and Sun 2008;Yin et al 2008;Leonzio et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogenic and toxic elements in feathers, eggs, and excreta of Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua ellsworthii) in the Antarctic

Metcheva

Yurukova

Teodorova

2011

Environ Monit Assess

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Feathers, eggs, and excreta of Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua ellsworthii), adults, from Livingston Island (South Shetlands), chosen as bioindicators, were used to test the quality of the Antarctic environment. Sex was not examined. The bioaccumulations of toxic trace elements (Cd, Pb, Al, and As), essential trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, V, Ni, and Sr), and major essential elements (Na, K, Mg, Ca, P, and S) were established. For the first time data about the element contents in Gentoo eggs is provided. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) there are differences in the metal levels among eggs and feathers; and (2) the element concentrations are highest in the excreta. The hypotheses were confirmed at 0.01-0.05 confidence levels. The concentrations of almost all trace elements were significantly higher in the feathers compared to those in the eggs. The following values of the concentrations ratio Fe/Zn were obtained: in the embryo, Fe/Zn = 1.5, and in the feathers, Fe/Zn = 0.5. The concentration of Pb in the embryo and excreta was below 0.4 μg/g, and Cd and As in eggs were below 0.05 and 0.3 μg/g, respectively. This indicates that there is no toxic risk for penguin offspring. Arsenic could be considered as a potential pollutant for Antarctic soil due to its relative high concentration in excreta, 5.13 μg/g. The present data (year 2007) were compared to the data for years 2002 and 2003. No trend of toxic element contamination was established. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As in representatives from the top of the food chain in the Antarctic (the present study) and Arctic (literature data) were compared. The data supports the hypothesis that there is an abnormality in cadmium levels in polar marine areas. Regarding Pb, the South Shetlands displayed 3-fold lower level compared to the Aleutians.

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“…Excrement has been used to measure and compare levels of contaminant exposure in other bird species including the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus; Clapp et al 2012), Great (Parus major) and Blue (P. caeruleus) tits (Dauwe et al 2000), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias; Fitzner et al 1995) The remaining nests were scattered throughout the rest of Iowa on both private and public lands. Nest sites sampled in 2012 were resampled in 2013 if they were active.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental contaminants in excrement of Iowa's nesting and wintering Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Reiter-Marolf¹,

Dinsmore²,

Blanchong³

2017

The Wilson Journal of Ornithology

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Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were rare only a few decades ago but have undergone a spectacular recovery range-wide. While their numbers have increased, there is concern about exposure of Bald Eagles to environmental contaminants. We collected excrement from nesting and wintering Bald Eagles in Iowa to examine their exposure to several contaminants and tested for differences as a function of space, time, and breeding status. We detected aluminum, copper, manganese, and zinc at levels above the quantitation limit (QL) in most excrement samples. These elements are all essential micronutrients normally found in living organisms. Arsenic and selenium are essential micronutrients for which fewer samples had levels above the QL. We also detected non-essential elements barium, cadmium, lead, and mercury in excrement samples, although only one sample had a cadmium level above the QL and only 26% of samples had lead levels above the QL. Geometric mean contaminant levels in excrement samples collected from nesting eagles during the spring were higher than for samples collected in the winter for aluminum, barium, copper, manganese, and zinc. The only difference we detected in contaminant levels in excrement samples was in manganese (higher for nest sites along the Mississippi River) and selenium (lower for nest sites along the Mississippi River) versus nest sites not associated with the Mississippi River. We also found that non-breeding eagles had higher levels of barium and manganese than nesting eagles. Our results can serve as a baseline for comparison with future studies investigating exposure of Bald Eagles to environmental contaminants. ABSTRACT.-Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) were rare only a few decades ago but have undergone a spectacular recovery range-wide. While their numbers have increased, there is concern about exposure of Bald Eagles to environmental contaminants. We collected excrement from nesting and wintering Bald Eagles in Iowa to examine their exposure to several contaminants and tested for differences as a function of space, time, and breeding status. We detected aluminum, copper, manganese, and zinc at levels above the quantitation limit (QL) in most excrement samples. These elements are all essential micronutrients normally found in living organisms. Arsenic and selenium are essential micronutrients for which fewer samples had levels above the QL. We also detected non-essential elements barium, cadmium, lead, and mercury in excrement samples, although only one sample had a cadmium level above the QL and only 26% of samples had lead levels above the QL. Geometric mean contaminant levels in excrement samples collected from nesting eagles during the spring were higher than for samples collected in the winter for aluminum, barium, copper, manganese, and zinc. The only difference we detected in contaminant levels in excrement samples was in manganese (higher for nest sites along the Mississippi River) and selenium (lower for nest sites along the Mississippi River) versus nest s...

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Heavy metal concentrations in great blue heron fecal castings in Washington State: A technique for monitoring regional and global trends in environmental contaminants

Cited by 21 publications

References 5 publications

Can Excrement and Feathers of Nestling Songbirds Be Used as Biomonitors for Heavy Metal Pollution?

Can Excrement and Feathers of Nestling Songbirds Be Used as Biomonitors for Heavy Metal Pollution?

Biogenic and toxic elements in feathers, eggs, and excreta of Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua ellsworthii) in the Antarctic

Environmental contaminants in excrement of Iowa's nesting and wintering Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

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