Bird blood as bioindicator for mercury in the environment

Mercury concentrations were studied in blood, down and feathers of Common Gull ( Larus canus L.) to investigate the suitability of bird blood as a matrix for biomonitoring of mercury in the marine environment. Chicks were collected in 1996 on the Elbe river and the Jade Bay. Like the side feathers,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 1999-12, Vol.39 (14), p.2451-2457
Main Authors: Kahle, Silke, Becker, Peter H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Animals, Wild
Applied ecology
Aves
Biological and medical sciences
Birds - blood
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germany, Elbe R
Larus canus
Marine and brackish environment
Mercury - blood
USA, Tennessee R
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
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Summary:Mercury concentrations were studied in blood, down and feathers of Common Gull ( Larus canus L.) to investigate the suitability of bird blood as a matrix for biomonitoring of mercury in the marine environment. Chicks were collected in 1996 on the Elbe river and the Jade Bay. Like the side feathers, blood indicated site differences in mercury contamination. Correlational analyses showed that mercury concentrations in blood are significantly related to levels in side feathers (p < 0.001; Pearson), but not to those in down (p > 0.05; Pearson). Therefore, blood can be considered as a suitable matrix to indicate the current mercury burden in wild birds.
ISSN:0045-6535
1879-1298
DOI:10.1016/S0045-6535(99)00154-X