Eeva Tapio, Lehikoinen Esa
Laboratory of Ecology and Animal Systematics, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FIN-20500, Turku, Finland.
Oecologia. 1996 Dec;108(4):631-639. doi: 10.1007/BF00329036.
We studied nestling growth, growth abnormalities, mortality and breeding success of two hole-nesting passerines, the great tit (Parus major) and the pied fly-catcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), at 14 study sites around a copper smelter complex in Harjavalta, south-west Finland in 1991-1993. The main pollutants in the area are heavy metals and sulphuric oxides. Exposure of birds to heavy metals was shown by measuring their faecal concentrations. Copper, nickel and lead contents of nestling faeces were high near the factory and decreased with distance away from the pollution source. F. hypoleuca nestlings suffered high mortality very close to the factory complex, but did relatively well at all other sites. Breeding success of P. major was below background levels up to 3-4 km from the pollution source and nestlings grew poorly close to the factory. Growth abnormalities of legs and wings in F. hypoleuca nestlings were significantly more common near the factory than farther away. In contrast, F. hypoleuca nestlings grew equally well at all distances. The poor breeding success of F. hypoleuca close to the factory complex is probably related to the high amount of heavy metals in its diet, and low availability of calcium-rich food items may enhance this effect. We suggest that the poor breeding success of P. major is related to habitat changes that have taken place around the factory. The different responses of these two bird species are probably due to their different diet. Our results show convincingly that species-specific differences in response should be carefully considered when planning schemes for air pollution monitoring.
1991年至1993年期间，我们在芬兰西南部哈尔亚瓦尔塔一座铜冶炼厂附近的14个研究地点，对两种在树洞中筑巢的雀形目鸟类——大山雀（Parus major）和斑姬鹟（Ficedula hypoleuca）的雏鸟生长、生长异常、死亡率和繁殖成功率进行了研究。该地区的主要污染物是重金属和硫氧化物。通过测量鸟类粪便中的浓度来显示它们对重金属的接触情况。工厂附近雏鸟粪便中的铜、镍和铅含量很高，并随着与污染源距离的增加而降低。在工厂建筑群附近，斑姬鹟雏鸟的死亡率很高，但在所有其他地点情况相对较好。在距离污染源3 - 4公里范围内，大山雀的繁殖成功率低于背景水平，且在工厂附近雏鸟生长不良。斑姬鹟雏鸟腿部和翅膀的生长异常在工厂附近比远处明显更为常见。相比之下，斑姬鹟雏鸟在所有距离处生长情况相同。斑姬鹟在工厂建筑群附近繁殖成功率低可能与其饮食中重金属含量高有关，而富含钙的食物供应不足可能会加剧这种影响。我们认为大山雀繁殖成功率低与工厂周围发生的栖息地变化有关。这两种鸟类的不同反应可能是由于它们不同的饮食。我们的结果令人信服地表明，在规划空气污染监测方案时，应仔细考虑物种特异性的反应差异。
