Monitoring of heavy metal burden in mute swan (Cygnus olor)

Abstract

Concentrations of heavy metals (especially arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury and lead) were measured in the contour (body) feathers of mute swans (Cygnus olor) and in its nutrients (fragile stonewort [Chara globularis], clasping leaf pondweed [Potamogeton perfoliatus], Eurasian watermilfoil [Myriophyllum spicatum], fennel pondweed [Potamogeton pectinatus]) to investigate the accumulation of metals during the food chain. The samples (17 feathers, 8 plants) were collected at Keszthely Bay of Lake Balaton, Hungary. Dry ashing procedure was used for preparing of sample and the heavy metal concentrations were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Copper (10.24 ± 2.25 mg/kg) and lead (1.11 ± 1.23 mg/kg) were detected the highest level in feathers, generally, the other metals were mostly under the detection limit (0.5 mg/kg). However, the concentrations of the arsenic (3.17 ± 1.87 mg/kg), cadmium (2.41 ± 0.66 mg/kg) and lead (2.42 ± 0.89 mg/kg) in the plants were low but the chromium (198.27 ± 102.21 mg/kg) was detected in high concentration.

Interactions Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Blood Biochemistry in an Urban Population of the Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) in Australia

“…Generally, the concentrations of heavy metals we report in these black swans are lower than those in other swan species (Table 3), except for zinc and mercury, which were higher. The feather lead concentrations found in this study were similar to those reported in mute swan feathers from a freshwater lake in Hungary in 2015 (Grúz et al 2015), and lower than those in whooper swan (C. cygnus) feathers from coastal north-eastern China (Wang et al 2017). Copper concentrations were also more similar to those of mute swans from Hungary (Grúz et al 2015) and lower than those from China (Wang et al 2017).…”

“…The feather lead concentrations found in this study were similar to those reported in mute swan feathers from a freshwater lake in Hungary in 2015 (Grúz et al 2015), and lower than those in whooper swan (C. cygnus) feathers from coastal north-eastern China (Wang et al 2017). Copper concentrations were also more similar to those of mute swans from Hungary (Grúz et al 2015) and lower than those from China (Wang et al 2017). However, chromium levels detected in this study were lower than in Hungary and much lower than that of whooper swan feathers in China.…”

Lead (Pb) in the tissues of Anatidae, Ardeidae, Sternidae and Laridae of the Northern Hemisphere: a review of environmental studies

“…In Europe, in mute swans ( Cygnus olor ) caught at Keszthely Bay, Lake Balaton, Hungary, the level of lead in feathers was 1.11 ± 1.23 μg/g dw (Grúz et al 2015 ). In Poland near Zator, a Natura 2000 area and at the Milicz ponds nature reserve in Milicz, the concentrations of lead in mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ) feathers were 0.45 μg/g dw and 0.18 μg/g dw, respectively (Binkowski and Sawicka-Kapusta 2015 ).…”

Habitat-, age-, and sex-related alterations in oxidative stress biomarkers in the blood of mute swans (Cygnus olor) inhabiting pomeranian coastal areas (Northern Poland)

“…Birds are susceptible to environmental changes, which make them particularly important as indicators of environmental contamination, including metal concentrations (Tkachenko and Kurhaluk 2012;Tkachenko et al 2021;Kurhaluk et al 2021). The mute swan (Cygnus olor Gmelin, Anatidae), i.e., a common water bird of lowland freshwaters and coastal shallows, is an effective model system of environmental contamination (Beyer and Day 2004;Grúz et al 2015Grúz et al , 2018Grúz et al , 2019.…”