Abstract
Five species of riparian vertebrates (425 individuals) primarily representing upper trophic levels were collected from the Big River and Black River drainages in two lead mining districts of southeastern Missouri, 1981–82. Big River is subject to metal pollution via erosion and seepage from large tailings piles from inactive lead mines. Black River drains part of a currently mined area. Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus), and green-backed herons (Butorides striatus) collected downstream from the source of metal contamination to Big River had significantly (ANOVA, P<0.05) higher lead and cadmium levels than specimens collected at either an uncontaminated upstream site or on Black River. Northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon) had elevated lead levels below the tailings source, but did not seem to accumulate cadmium. Levels of lead, cadmium, or zinc in northern rough-winged swallows (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) were not related to collecting locality. Carcasses of ten bank swallows (Riparia riparia) collected from a colony nesting in a tailings pile along the Big River had lead concentrations of 2.0–39 ppm wet weight. Differences between zinc concentrations in vertebrates collected from contaminated and uncontaminated sites were less apparent than differences in lead and cadmium. There was little relationship between metal concentrations in the animals studied and their trophic levels. Bullfrogs are the most promising species examined for monitoring environmental levels of lead, cadmium, and zinc. Downstream from the source of tailings, bullfrogs had markedly higher levels of these metals in most of their tissues. The species is also widely distributed in North America, easily caught, and relatively sedentary.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bent AC (1942) Life histories of North American flycatchers, larks, swallows, and their allies. US National Museum Bulletin 179, Washington, DC, p 400
Brodkorb P (1957) Birds. In: Blair AP and Cagle FR (eds) Vertebrates of the United States. McGraw-Hill, New York, p 270
Brown GW, Jr (1964) The metabolism of amphibia. In: Moore JA (ed) Physiology of the amphibia. Academic Press, New York, p 1
Conant R (1975) A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern and central North America. Houghton-Mifflin Co, Boston, Massachusetts
Custer TW, Mulhern BL (1983) Heavy metal residues in prefledgling black-crowned night-herons from three Atlantic Coast colonies. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 30:178–185
Drifmeyer JE, Odum WE (1975) Lead, zinc, and manganese, in dredge-spoil pond ecosystems. Environ Conserv 2:39–45
Eastin WC Jr, Huffman DJ, O'Leary CT (1983) Lead accumulation and depression of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) in young birds fed automotive waste oil. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 12:31–35
Ekberg CJ (1982) Antoine Valentin de Gruy: early Missouri explorer. Mo Hist Rev 75:136–150
Erickson DW, Lindzey JS (1983) Lead and cadmium in muskrat and cattail tissues. J Wildl Manage 47:550–555
Fisher GL (1975) Function and homeostasis of copper and zinc in mammals. Sci Total Environ 4:373–412
Gale NL, Bolter E, Wixson BG (1976) Investigation of Clear-water Lake as a potential sink for heavy metals from lead mining in southeast Missouri. In: D. Hemphill (ed) Proc 10th Ann Conf on Trace Substances in Environ Health, Univ of Mo-Columbia, p 187
Hill EP, Bayne DR, Garrett W, Kramer K, McCann R (1983) A study of the effects of environmental contaminants on wildlife populations. Final Report to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alabama Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Auburn Univ, Auburn, Alabama, 133 pp
Hoffman RD, Curnow RD (1973) Toxic heavy metals in Lake Erie herons. In: Proc 16th Conf Great Lakes Res, Internat Assoc Great Lakes Res, Huron, Ohio, p 50
Hutton M, Goodman GT (1980) Metal contamination of feral pigeonsColumbia livia from the London area: Part 1-Tissue accumulation of lead, cadmium, and zinc. Environ Pollut 22:207–217
Ingram WM, Raney EC (1943) Additional studies on the movement of tagged bullfrogs,Rana catesbeiana Shaw. Amer Midl Nat 29:239–41
International Decade of Oceanographic Exploration (I.D.O.E.) (1972) Baseline studies of pollutants in the marine environment and research recommendations. Baseline Conference, Deliberations of 24–26 May, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC, p 1
Korschgen LJ, Baskett TS (1963) Foods of impoundment- and stream-dwelling bullfrogs in Missouri. Herpetologica 19:89–99
Kramer R (1976) Effects of a century old Missouri lead mining operation upon the water quality, sediments, and biota of Flat River Creek. MS Thesis, Univ Mo-Rolla, Missouri 137 PP
Meeks RL (1968) The accumulation of36Cl ring-labeled DDT in a freshwater marsh. J Wildl Manage 32:376–398
Mushinsky HR, Hebrard JJ (1977) Food partitioning by five species of water snakes in Louisiana. Herpetologica 33:162–166
Niethammer KR, Kaiser MS, Atkinson RD, Baskett TS (1983) Foods of the green-backed heron in the eastern Missouri Ozarks. Trans Mo Acad Sci 17:117–127
Niethammer KR, White DH, Baskett TS, Sayre MW (1984) Presence and biomagnification of organochlorine chemical residues in oxbow lakes of northeastern Louisiana. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 13:63–74
Novak JJ, Hasselwander GB (1980) Control of mine tailing discharge to Big River. Report to Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Department of Civil Engineering, Univ Mo-Columbia, Missouri, 75 pp
Raney EC (1940) Summer movements of the bullfrogRana catesbeiana Shaw as determined by the jaw tag method. Am Midl Nat 23:733–45
Schmitt CJ, Finger SE (1982) The dynamics of metals from past and present mining activities in the Big and Black river watersheds, southeastern Missouri. Final Report to US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia National Fisheries Research Laboratory, Columbia, Missouri, 153 pp
Shanks CE (1947) Populations, productivity, movements and food habits of Missouri muskrats. MA Thesis, Univ of Mo-Columbia, Missouri, 123 pp
Whelan GE (1983) The distribution and accumulation of lead and cadmium within a lotic benthic community. MA Thesis, Univ of Mo-Columbia, Missouri, 157 pp
White DH, Finley MT (1978) Uptake and retention of dietary cadmium in mallard ducks. Environ Res 17:53–59
Willis YL, Moyle DL, Baskett TS (1956) Emergence, breeding, hibernation, movements and transformation of the bullfrog,Rana catesbeiana, in Missouri. Copeia 1956:30–41
World Health Organization (WHO) (1972) Evaluation of certain food additives and of the contaminants mercury, lead, and cadmium. Sixteenth Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Geneva, 33 pp
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Niethammer, K.R., Atkinson, R.D., Baskett, T.S. et al. Metals in riparian wildlife of the lead mining district of southeastern Missouri. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 14, 213–223 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055614
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055614