Reproductive ecology of tree swallows (<i>Tachycineta bicolor</i>) with high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl contamination

McCarty, John P.; Secord, Anne L.

doi:10.1002/etc.5620180713

Cited by 82 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(35 reference statements)

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“…Detailed results of the top-down approach, including tissue concentrations and measurements of reproductive fitness, are presented elsewhere (Neigh et al 2006a,b), but the degree of concordance between the top-down and bottom-up approaches is evaluated in this article. Specific measurement endpoint comparisons include (1) estimate of exposure and subsequent risk calculation for four passerine species based on dietary exposure; (2) comparisons of measured site-specific dietary exposure to dietary exposures derived from a literature based diet; (3) the contributions of terrestrial and aquatic food web-based exposures as related to generalized feeding guilds; (4) tissue-based exposure assessments; (5) species productivity; (6) and hazard quotients based on the total concentration of PCBs and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p -dioxin (TCDD) equivalents (TEQs) of the PCB exposure mixture.Exposures to PCBs and the potential effects of these exposures on passerine birds have been examined in several aquatic ecosystems (Custer et al 1998;Bishop et al 1999;McCarty and Secord 1999;Custer et al 2003), but the effects on species exposed through terrestrial food webs have been less well documented. Even fewer studies have evaluated differential accumulations of PCBs by wildlife from contaminated media with the same point of origin but environmentally weathered in substantially different ways.…”

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confidence: 99%

Exposure and Multiple Lines of Evidence Assessment of Risk for PCBs Found in the Diets of Passerine Birds at the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site, Michigan

Neigh

Zwiernik

Blankenship

et al. 2006

Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal

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Dietary exposures of passerine birds at the Kalamazoo River, Michigan, were examined due to the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the terrestrial and aquatic food webs. Average potential daily doses in diets were 6-to 29-fold and 16-to 35-fold greater at a contaminated location than at a reference location for PCB exposures quantified as total PCBs and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p -dioxin equivalents (TEQs), respectively. Birds with diets comprised of primarily aquatic insects had greater dietary exposure than birds with diets of primarily terrestrial insects. Risk associated with dietary exposure varied with the selection of the threshold for effects including hazard quotients, which exceeded 1 in instances where the most conservative toxicity reference values were utilized. Risk based on concentrations of PCBs in the tissues indicated little risk to avian species, and co-located studies evaluating reproductive health did not suggest that observed incidences of diminished reproductive success were related to PCB exposure. Measures of risk based on comparison to toxicity reference values (TRVs) were consistent with direct measures of ecologically relevant endpoints of reproductive fitness, but uncertainty exists in the selection of threshold values for effects in these species especially based on TEQs. This is largely due to the absence of species-specific, dose-response relationships. Therefore, the best estimate of risk is through the application of multiple lines of evidence. INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this study was to describe the exposure pathways for passerine birds exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the Kalamazoo River and to estimate risk associated with PCBs through those pathways. A secondary goal was to compare the two established methodologies for estimating exposure and subsequent risk. Finally, the results of the risk assessments based on the two methods of estimating exposure were compared to measures of reproductive fitness at the more PCB-contaminated site and the less contaminated, upstream reference location. The first method for estimating exposure, the "top-down" approach, measured concentrations of PCBs in the eggs, nestlings, and adults of each species. The other approach, which predicts exposure based on concentrations of PCBs in dietary items, is referred to as "bottom-up" (Fairbrother 2003). The two approaches, although inherently linked, have become disjointed in the risk evaluation process. The reason for this separation is often related to constraints on funding and time, but the assessor cannot be unequivocally assured that their selection of methodology does not overlook some important interaction in determining risk, or for that matter, does not over or underestimate risk based on uncertainties due to the adjustment of models from the given data.It has been suggested that several lines of evidence be used to evaluate risk instead of implementing only one type of methodology (Fairbrother 2003). However, it may not always be possible to apply mult...

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confidence: 99%

Exposure and Multiple Lines of Evidence Assessment of Risk for PCBs Found in the Diets of Passerine Birds at the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site, Michigan

Neigh

Zwiernik

Blankenship

et al. 2006

Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal

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“…Residues in the 1998 treatment eggs are comparable to those found in the eggs of wild passerine (McCarty and Secord 1999), raptorial (Clark et al 1998;Donaldson et al 1999), and piscivorous birds (Hoffman et al 1998). Residues in the 1999 eggs laid by the in ovo-exposed birds in this study were not analyzed because these kestrels were first-time breeders and collecting eggs for analysis may have compromised their reproductive success.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…The PCB females and males produced fewer fledglings than did control pairs, indicating that PCB effects occur through both sexes independently. Declines in fledging success have been observed in wild tree swallows (McCarty and Secord 1999), cormorants Dirksen et al 1995), and the captive kestrels directly exposed to dietary PCBs (Fernie et al 2000a). As seen in wild cormorants (Custer et al 1999), nestling kestrels died either at or within the first 3 days of hatching in kestrel pairs experiencing either in ovo or dietary PCB exposure (Fernie et al 2000a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The similarity in hatching success of PCB and control pairs was in contrast with the reduced hatching success of the parent kestrels experiencing dietary PCB exposure (Fernie et al 2000a), of chickens exposed to dietary PCBs (Summer et al 1996b), and that of wild piscivorus and insectivorous birds exposed to PCBs Hoffman et al 1998;McCarty and Secord 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They also bioaccumulate through the food web (Hoffman et al 1996) and are potential endocrine-modulating substances (Koval et al 1987). Reproduction of wild passerines (McCarty and Secord 1999;Bishop et al 1999), raptorial (Kozie and Anderson 1991;Bowerman et al 1994;Giesy et al 1995;Hoffman et al 1998), and piscivorous Dirksen et al 1995;Custer et al 1999) birds has been altered by exposure to multiple contaminants, including PCBs. Most of these studies of wild birds have shown that there are contaminant effects at all levels, from compromised fertility and reduced hatching success of fertile eggs to diminished survival of young birds prior to or after fledging from the nest.…”

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confidence: 99%

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In Ovo Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls: Reproductive Effects on Second-Generation American Kestrels

Fernie

Smits

Bortolotti

et al. 2001

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

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Abstract.The reproductive success of wild birds has been affected by exposure to multiple contaminants. Reproduction of captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) was suppressed when adult birds were exposed to dietary polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, the reproductive effects of in ovo exposure to PCBs is explored, along with determining effects on reproduction in second-generation birds indirectly exposed to PCBs. Reproductive changes in this subsequent generation are examined separately in male and female birds. Captive American kestrels (F. sparverius) were hatched from clutches with eggs containing environmentally relevant levels of total PCBs (34.0 g/g whole egg WW versus 0 g/g controls); parent birds had been fed PCB-spiked (Aroclor 1248:1254:1260) food (7 mg/kg BW day Ϫ1) for 100 days until their eggs hatched. In 1999, the second-generation PCB birds were paired with unexposed kestrels having reproductive experience. In ovo PCB exposure suppressed egg laying completely in 25% of PCB females and resulted in delays in clutch initiation and smaller clutch sizes for PCB male and female pairs. There was no evidence in this study of in ovo PCB treatment effects on fertility or hatching success. The decline in reproductive success was also reflected in the reduced fledging success and higher incidence of complete brood mortality of PCB nestlings. Differences between in ovo-exposed PCB males and females but not between controls were evident in reproductive success. In ovo PCB exposure appears to have had greater effects on female kestrels until clutch completion, with a greater time lag between pairing and egg laying, reduced numbers of pairs laying eggs, and smaller clutches being laid. In ovo PCB exposure has greater effects later in the breeding season on male kestrels, which had poorer hatching and fledging success relative to the PCB females. Possible behavioral and physiological mechanisms involved in these reproductive changes are discussed.

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Urbanization mediates the effects of water quality and climate on a model aerial insectivorous bird

Sullivan

Corra

Hayes

2021

Ecological Monographs

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Reproductive ecology of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) with high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl contamination

Cited by 82 publications

References 33 publications

Exposure and Multiple Lines of Evidence Assessment of Risk for PCBs Found in the Diets of Passerine Birds at the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site, Michigan

Exposure and Multiple Lines of Evidence Assessment of Risk for PCBs Found in the Diets of Passerine Birds at the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site, Michigan

In Ovo Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls: Reproductive Effects on Second-Generation American Kestrels

Urbanization mediates the effects of water quality and climate on a model aerial insectivorous bird

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