The screening method for use of wild pheasant feathers in the monitoring of environmental pollution with heavy metals

Abstract

It has been shown that some species of birds, especially herbivorous and territorial ones, are more sensitive to the effects of toxic substances compared to mammals. This allows for taking integrated actions in the area of environmental protection and monitoring in a holistic sense (at various trophic levels). Therefore, this study aimed to assess the possibility of using pheasant feathers (Phasianuscolchicus) as a potential bioindicator ofenvironmental contamination, and thus to determine the concentration of heavy metals (lead—Pb, arsenic—As, cadmium—Cd, chromium—Cr, nickel—Ni, and zinc—Zn) in the analyzed tissue of animals inhabiting the forest districts of the Lubartów, Tomaszów, Skierniewice, and Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski areas. The chemical analysis used to determine the concentration of toxic elements in pheasant feathers was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The highest concentrations of Cr and Zn were found in birds from the Lubartów Forest District (1.93 mg/kg and 120.63 mg/kg, respectively), As and Ni in the Tomaszów Forest District (0.55 mg/kg and 1.60 mg/kg, respectively), Cd in the Lubartów Forest District and Skierniewice (0.04 mg/kg), and Pb in the Skierniewice Forest Distict (6.79 mg/kg). The observed results were strongly related to soil contamination and urbanization index, as key environmental factors which significantly determine the metal content in pheasant feathers. Therefore, proposed non-invasive measurements of the elemental composition of feathers of birds living in specific areas may be an important indicator of environmental pollution in relation to the high impact of anthropopressure.

Analysis of Zinc and Copper Content in Selected Tissues and Organs of Wild Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos L.) in Poland

“…The accumulation of heavy metals in the body of wild birds depends on the environmental conditions in which these species live, the type of diet, as well as different exposure to environmental pollution from habitats surrounded by pollutant emitters (transport, industry and agriculture) [30].…”