Burger J, Gochfeld M
Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08855.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1993 Sep;25(3):322-7. doi: 10.1007/BF00210724.
Several species of herons and egrets frequently nest in colonies in areas where humans also concentrate. Since the birds feed on intermediate-sized fish that themselves concentrate pollutants, they can be used not only to assess the levels of contaminants in avian tissues but as indicators of contaminants in the environment. The concentration of heavy metals and selenium in the breast feathers of fledgling black-crowned night herons Nycticorax nycticorax and Chinese pond herons Ardeola bacchus from the Tu Jing Yan heronry outside Chengdu, Szechuan Province in China; and from fledgling black-crowned night heron, little egret Egretta garzetta, great egret Egretta alba and cattle egret Bubulcus ibis from the Mai Po heronry in Hong Kong, were determined. Breast feathers were also collected from adult great egrets in Hong Kong. Adult great egrets had significantly higher levels of all heavy metals than did young great egrets. There were no significant interspecific differences in metal levels among the young at Szechuan China, except for chromium (pond herons had higher levels). There were significant differences among the young nesting at Hong Kong for all metals examined. Great egrets had lower, and night herons had higher, levels of lead than the other young. Night herons also had the highest levels of cadmium, manganese, and selenium compared to the other young. Great egret chicks had the lowest mercury levels, while little egret had the highest levels. Lead levels for all the birds in both Hong Kong and Szechuan were among the highest in the world, and this was attributed to the continued use of leaded gasoline.
几种鹭科鸟类经常在人类也密集聚居的地区群居筑巢。由于这些鸟类以自身会富集污染物的中等体型鱼类为食，它们不仅可用于评估鸟类组织中的污染物水平，还能作为环境中污染物的指示生物。对来自中国四川省成都郊外土经堰鹭鸟栖息地的雏鸟黑冠夜鹭和池鹭，以及来自香港米埔鹭鸟栖息地的雏鸟黑冠夜鹭、小白鹭、大白鹭和牛背鹭胸羽中的重金属和硒含量进行了测定。还采集了香港成年大白鹭的胸羽。成年大白鹭体内所有重金属的含量均显著高于幼年大白鹭。在中国四川，幼鸟之间除铬（池鹭含量较高）外，金属含量没有显著的种间差异。在香港筑巢的幼鸟中，所检测的所有金属含量都存在显著差异。与其他幼鸟相比，大白鹭体内铅含量较低，夜鹭体内铅含量较高。与其他幼鸟相比，夜鹭体内镉、锰和硒的含量也最高。大白鹭雏鸟体内汞含量最低，而小白鹭体内汞含量最高。香港和四川所有鸟类的铅含量均位居世界最高水平之列，这归因于含铅汽油的持续使用。
