Abstract
A three year study (1981 to 1983) was conducted to determine possible influences of wetland acidification on the reproduction and growth of the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). This species uses emergent aquatic insect prey to feed its nestlings. Egg characteristics and nestling growth were monitored for birds nesting in 26 lakes in the Killarney region near Sudbury, Ontario (pH range 4.27 to 6.26). The major percentage of variation in kingbird reproductive factors including clutch initiation, egg weight loss and torso-metatarsus bone growth was explained by differences between siblings and among nests on a single lake. A smaller percentage of the variance in reproductive parameters was explained by the variation in water chemistry among lakes. Canonical correlation showed that sulfate, nitrate/nitrite, alkalinity, pH, and several metals (Fe, Mn, Al) accounted for a minor but significant variance in growth characteristics. These water chemistry parameters are influenced by lake acidification. The relationship observed between lake acidity and kingbird reproduction is therefore measurable but minor compared to the influence of genetic and inter-nest variables. The study showed no food limitation for the kingbird attributed to lake acidity.
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Glooschenko, V., Blancher, P., Herskowitz, J. et al. Association of wetland acidity with reproductive parameters and insect prey of the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) near Sudbury, Ontario. Water Air Soil Pollut 30, 553–567 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303318
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303318