Burger J, Gochfeld M
Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08855.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1991 Aug;21(2):311-5. doi: 10.1007/BF01055351.
Levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury were examined in breast feathers of terns nesting on offshore islets near Culebra, Puerto Rico and on Michaelmas Cay and Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Levels of all metals in these tropical terns were predicted to be lower than those of terns nesting in temperate regions, because the tropical species feed offshore of non-industrial areas where contamination should be less than for temperature-nesting species that feed in inshore estuaries near industrialized areas. This prediction was not supported by the evidence. In Puerto Rico, lead and cadmium levels were highest in bridled tern (Sterna anaethetus), and mercury levels were highest in sooty (S. fuscata) and roseate tern (S. dougallii). In Australia, levels of lead and mercury were higher in black noddy (A. minutus) and lower for sooty tern; and cadmium levels were highest for brown noddy (A. stolidus) and sooty tern, and lowest for black noddy. Metal levels for the tropical terns nesting in Puerto Rico and Australia generally were not lower than levels reported for temperate-nesting or mainland nesting birds (except for mercury in Australia).
对在波多黎各库莱布拉附近近海小岛上筑巢的燕鸥以及澳大利亚大堡礁上的米迦勒马斯礁和苍鹭岛筑巢的燕鸥的胸羽中的铅、镉和汞含量进行了检测。预计这些热带燕鸥体内所有金属的含量都低于在温带地区筑巢的燕鸥，因为热带物种在非工业区的近海觅食，那里的污染应该比在工业化地区附近近岸河口觅食的温带筑巢物种要少。但证据并不支持这一预测。在波多黎各，领燕鸥（Sterna anaethetus）的铅和镉含量最高，乌燕鸥（S. fuscata）和粉红燕鸥（S. dougallii）的汞含量最高。在澳大利亚，黑玄燕鸥（A. minutus）的铅和汞含量较高，乌燕鸥的含量较低；褐玄燕鸥（A. stolidus）和乌燕鸥的镉含量最高，黑玄燕鸥的含量最低。在波多黎各和澳大利亚筑巢的热带燕鸥的金属含量总体上并不低于温带筑巢或大陆筑巢鸟类报告的含量（澳大利亚的汞含量除外）。
