Mercury exposure in terrestrial birds far downstream of an historical point source |
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Authors: | Jackson Allyson K Evers David C Folsom Sarah B Condon Anne M Diener John Goodrick Lizzie F McGann Andrew J Schmerfeld John Cristol Daniel A |
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Institution: | a Biodiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME 04038, USA b Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA c U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6669 Short Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061, USA |
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Abstract: | Mercury (Hg) is a persistent environmental contaminant found in many freshwater and marine ecosystems. Historical Hg contamination in rivers can impact the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem, but there is little known about how far downstream this contamination persists. In 2009, we sampled terrestrial forest songbirds at five floodplain sites up to 137 km downstream of an historical source of Hg along the South and South Fork Shenandoah Rivers (Virginia, USA). We found that blood total Hg concentrations remained elevated over the entire sampling area and there was little evidence of decline with distance. While it is well known that Hg is a pervasive and long-lasting aquatic contaminant, it has only been recently recognized that it also biomagnifies effectively in floodplain forest food webs. This study extends the area of concern for terrestrial habitats near contaminated rivers for more than 100 km downstream from a waterborne Hg point source. |
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Keywords: | Mercury Songbirds Contamination Floodplain Downstream |
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