Reproductive success and contaminants in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) breeding at a wastewater treatment plant

Abstract

The uptake and effects of contaminants were measured in the insectivorous tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) at a wastewater treatment site. The study examined reproductive, immunological, and growth endpoints in tree swallows exposed to chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants and to 4-nonylphenol in wastewater lagoons at the Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant, Vancouver (BC, Canada). Clutch size was significantly lower in tree swallows breeding at Iona Island in 2000 and 2001 compared to the reference site. In 2000, fledging success was significantly lower and mean mass of nestling livers was significantly higher in the tree swallows breeding at the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. Additional factors that may influence reproductive success, such as parental provisioning and diet composition, did not differ significantly between sites. Levels of 4-nonylphenol detected in sediment and insects were elevated at the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (2000: lagoon sediment 82,000 ng/g dry wt, insects 310 ng/g wet wt; 2001: lagoon sediment 383,900 ng/g dry wt, insects 156 ng/g wet wt) compared to the reference site (2000: pond sediment 1,100 ng/g dry wt, insects not sampled; 2001: pond sediment 642 ng/g dry wt, insects 98 ng/g wet wt). These results indicate that tree swallows might be a useful indicator species for exposure to 4-nonylphenol at wastewater treatment sites: however, further work is necessary to determine the extent of uptake and effects of 4-nonylphenol in riparian insectivorous birds.

Developmental impairment in eurasian dipper nestlings exposed to urban stream pollutants

“…Concern over wastewater contaminants affecting bird species is plausible given that endocrine active substances can accumulate in insect prey produced from sewage filter beds and sediment . In determining effects on birds, reproduction is a common benchmark, particularly for those contaminants deemed to have endocrine‐disrupting properties associated with the estrogenic, antiestrogenic, or antiandrogenic effects frequently mediated through receptor binding .…”

Reproductive success of three passerine species exposed to dioxin-like compounds near Midland, Michigan, USA

“…Researchers have monitored birds exposed to contaminants for molecular (Custer et al 2005, 2001; Papp et al 2005), immune (Dods et al 2005; Martinovic et al 2003; Mayne et al 2004), morphometric (Custer et al 2005; DeWitt et al 2006; Henshel et al 1997), and genetic (Stapleton et al 2001) responses with mixed results. The predominant limitation of these measurement endpoints is relating them to altered survival or reproductive performance in field studies, while similar measurement endpoints are useful in laboratory studies to determine dose–response relationships (Head and Kennedy 2007).…”

Properties of Blood, Porphyrins, and Exposure to Legacy and Emerging Persistent Organic Pollutants in Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) Overwintering on the South Coast of British Columbia, Canada

“…Liver homogenates were mixed with 13 C-labeled recovery standards (nonylphenol and three ethoxylates) and then extracted with acetone:CH 3 CN:DCM as described by Dods et al (2005). Extracts were applied to solid-phase extraction columns.…”