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Effects of Methylmercury on Reproduction in American Kestrels and Comparison to Effects Observed in Other Avian Species, poster presentation
Citation:
BENNETT, R., P. H. ALBERS, M. T. KOTERBA, R. ROSSMANN, W. A. LINK, J. B. FRENCH, W. C. BAUER, AND K. G. SAPPINGTON. Effects of Methylmercury on Reproduction in American Kestrels and Comparison to Effects Observed in Other Avian Species, poster presentation. Presented at Raptor Research Foundation Conference, Duluth, MN, October 05 - 09, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
To document research results.
Description:
To assess the effects of methylmercury (MeHg) on the survival and reproduction of birds, several controlled-dose laboratory studies have been conducted over the years on a variety of avian species, but none of the previous studies measured reproductive effects in a flesh-eating species. In this study, breeding pairs of captive American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were exposed to 0, 0.75, 2.0, 3.2, 4.6, or 5.9 ppm MeHg dry weight in the diet and subsequent reproduction was measured. Egg production, incubation performance, and number of eggs hatched decreased markedly between 3.2 and 4.6 ppm MeHg dry weight in the diet. The percent of eggs hatched declined at doses above 0.75 ppm MeHg, with no eggs hatching at 5.9 ppm. Nestling survival and fledging success decreased in a dose-related manner for all treatments. Dietary concentrations of >