Research Institute for Nature Management, Texel, the Netherlands.
Environ Monit Assess. 1986 Nov;7(3):249-56. doi: 10.1007/BF00418017.
Feather material has been investigated as suitable indicating tissue for heavy metal pollution. At least three different routes are described through which trace metal content in the feathers can increase: internal deposition during growth, contamination by the bird's secretion and outside contamination.As mercury is only deposited during feather growth, the feather burden reflects the internal contamination of the bird. Internal deposition of zinc appears to be well regulated in the shaft but concentrations differ widely in the vanes. No external contamination of the vanes could be demonstrated, so these levels reflect contamination from inside. Selenium and lead contamination can be deposited by the birds secretion. When the time elapsed after feather formation is accounted for, the feather can give indirectly an indication of the birds exposure to these elements.
羽毛材料已被研究为适合重金属污染的指示组织。羽毛中痕量金属含量的增加至少有三种不同的途径：生长过程中的内部沉积、鸟类分泌物的污染和外部污染。由于汞仅在羽毛生长过程中沉积，因此羽毛负担反映了鸟类的内部污染。锌的内部沉积在羽轴中似乎得到了很好的调节，但在羽片中的浓度差异很大。羽片没有外部污染的迹象，因此这些水平反映了内部的污染。硒和铅的污染可以被鸟类的分泌物沉积。当考虑到羽毛形成后经过的时间时，羽毛可以间接地指示鸟类对这些元素的暴露。
