Organochlorine and trace element contamination in wintering and migrating diving ducks in the southern great lakes, USA, since the zebra mussel invasion

Abstract

Abstract-Because of the potential for increased trophic transfer of contaminants by zebra mussels (Dreissena sp.) to higher trophic levels, we collected four species of waterfowl (n ϭ 65 ducks) from four locations in Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Michigan, USA, between 1991 and 1993 for organochlorine contaminant and trace element analyses. Geometric mean concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and p,pЈ-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) were 1.35 and 0.15 g/g wet weight in lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) carcasses and were below known effect levels. Total PCBs in 80% of carcasses, however, were above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's threshold of 3.0 g/g lipid weight for consumption of poultry. With the exception of selenium, trace elements were also at background or no-effect levels. Selenium concentrations in livers of 95% of lesser scaup, 90% of bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), and 72% of common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) were in the elevated (Ͼ10 g/g dry wt) or potentially harmful range (Ͼ33 g/g dry wt). The effects of these high selenium concentrations are unknown but should be investigated further based on reproductive effects observed in field and laboratory studies of dabbling ducks and because lesser scaup populations are declining. Concentrations of total PCBs in dreissenid mussels in western Lake Erie were 10 times higher than in the upper Mississippi River but were similar to concentrations in other industrialized rivers in Europe and the United States. Metal concentrations were similar to other industrialized sites where zebra mussels have been sampled.

Mercury in the Body of the Most Commonly Occurring European Game Duck, the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L. 1758), From Northwestern Poland

“…In the postbreeding season, researchers sometimes observe relationships between age classes (but usually not between sex groups) and Hg concentrations in L and other tissues. There is a tendency for greater Hg accumulation in AD than IM birds (Burger 2007; Conover and Vest 2009; Custer and Custer 2000; Evers et al 2005; Lindsay and Dimmick 1983; Parslow et al 1982). In our study in northwestern Poland, there was no significant correlation between Hg concentrations in the various organs and the age and sex of the mallards.…”

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, trace elements, and monooxygenase activity in birds nesting on the North Platte River, Casper, Wyoming, USA

“…Background concentrations of Sr in chicken eggs (Galus galus) were 2 g/ g dry weight [31]. Strontium is rarely detected in bird livers, but concentrations in American coot (Fulica americana) livers from San Francisco Bay, California, USA, varied between 0.45 and 0.79 g/g dry weight [32] and concentrations in lesser scaup livers varied from 0.4 to 1.0 g/g dry weight in western Lake Erie, USA [33].…”

Trophic transfer and biotransformation of polychlorinated biphenyls in zebra mussel, round goby, and smallmouth bass in Lake Erie, USA

“…However, because of the prodigious filtering ability of zebra mussels and their relatively high lipid content, contaminants sorbed to settling particulate matter, previously destined for sediments, can be redistributed into zebra mussels, increasing contaminant bioavailability and the likelihood of trophic transfer [10,[19][20][21][22]. Of native fauna, diving ducks consume limited amounts of zebra mussels during migration [23], potentially transferring contaminants [24]; however, few native fish consume zebra mussels because of the unpalatable shell [25].…”