Burger Joanna, Feigin Stephanie
Division of Life Sciences, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854 8082, USA.
Environmental Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Ecotoxicology. 2025 Jan;34(1):89-101. doi: 10.1007/s10646-024-02816-1. Epub 2024 Oct 29.
Many shorebird populations are declining, and contaminants may be partly contributing to the decline by interfering with feeding, migration, and breeding success. The goal of our study was to determine whether there was a temporal change in concentrations of trace elements of red knot (Calidris canutus rufa), sanderling (Calidris alba), and ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) during spring migration in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA. We sampled blood to 1) determine levels of trace elements in 2019, 2) compare 2019 trace element levels with those from shorebirds in 2011-2012, and 3) examine variability in blood levels of trace elements among species. In 2019: 1) trace element levels were significantly different among species (except cadmium[Cd]), 2) Cd was lowest in all species, and arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) were highest, and 3) sanderlings had the highest levels of As and Se, and knots had the highest levels of chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb). Se was higher in these shorebirds than reported for other shorebirds from elsewhere. As, mercury (Hg), and Se increased significantly between 2011-2012 and 2019 in all three species. There were no significant temporal changes in Cd. Chromium (Cr) decreased in knots and sanderling. The temporal increases in As, Se, and Hg bear watching as they are toxic in vertebrates, and each can decrease the toxicity of the others. The data indicate that shorebirds can be bioindicators of changing trace element levels in estuaries, potentially providing early warning of increasing levels of As, Hg, and Se in the environment.
许多滨鸟种群数量正在下降，污染物可能通过干扰觅食、迁徙和繁殖成功率，对这种下降起到了一定作用。我们研究的目的是确定在美国新泽西州特拉华湾春季迁徙期间，红腹滨鹬（Calidris canutus rufa）、三趾滨鹬（Calidris alba）和翻石鹬（Arenaria interpres）体内微量元素浓度是否存在时间变化。我们采集血液样本，以：1）测定2019年微量元素水平；2）将2019年微量元素水平与2011 - 2012年滨鸟的水平进行比较；3）研究不同物种间血液中微量元素水平的变异性。2019年：1）物种间微量元素水平存在显著差异（镉[Cd]除外）；2）所有物种中Cd含量最低，砷（As）和硒（Se）含量最高；3）三趾滨鹬体内As和Se含量最高，红腹滨鹬体内铬（Cr）和铅（Pb）含量最高。这些滨鸟体内的Se含量高于其他地区报道的其他滨鸟。2011 - 2012年至2019年期间，所有三个物种的As、汞（Hg）和Se含量均显著增加。Cd没有显著的时间变化。红腹滨鹬和三趾滨鹬体内Cr含量下降。As、Se和Hg含量随时间增加值得关注，因为它们在脊椎动物中具有毒性，且每种元素都可能降低其他元素的毒性。数据表明，滨鸟可以作为河口微量元素水平变化情况的生物指示物，有可能为环境中As、Hg和Se含量增加提供早期预警。
