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WILDLIFE RISK ASSESSMENT: DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF MERCURY AND HABITAT ALTERATION ON POPULATIONS OF AQUATIC-DEPENDENT WILDLIFE
Citation:
Nacci, D E. WILDLIFE RISK ASSESSMENT: DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF MERCURY AND HABITAT ALTERATION ON POPULATIONS OF AQUATIC-DEPENDENT WILDLIFE. Presented at EPA Science Forum 2003, Washington, DC, May 5-7, 2003.
Description:
NHEERL is conducting a demonstration project to develop tools and approaches for assessing the risks of multiple stressors to populations of piscivorous wildlife, leading to the development of risk-based criteria. Specifically, we are developing methods and approaches to assess the effects of mercury and habitat alteration on populations of a top-level predator, the Common Loon (Gavia immer). There is evidence of reduced productivity in some piscivorous birds and widespread reports of mercury in wildlife tissues at concentrations exceeding levels associated with adverse effects in controlled studies, but it is unclear what impact mercury has on the viability of populations of piscivorous wildlife such as loons. Three specific major research objectives are: 1) development of a mechanistically-based approach for extrapolating mercury toxicological data across wildlife species, 2) development of approaches for predicting population-level responses of loons to stressors including mercury exposure and habitat alteration, and identification of responses at the individual level that have the greatest influence on population-level responses, and 3) development of approaches for evaluating the absolute and relative risks from mercury exposure, habitat alteration, and other environmental factors on spatially structured loon populations of northeastern US and Canada at varying scales ranging up to watershed and biogeographic region. This research will provide the Agency, States, and other environmental protection and conservation organizations with scientifically defensible methods to enhance ecological risk assessment and wildlife criteria derivations.