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Contaminant Exposure and Effects in Red-Winged Blackbirds Inhabiting Stormwater Retention Ponds

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Abstract

Stormwater wetlands are created to retain water from storms and snow melt to reduce sediment, nutrient, and contaminant pollution of natural waterways in metropolitan areas. However, they are often a source of attractive habitat to wetland-associated wildlife. In this study of 12 stormwater wetlands and a larger, older reference site, elevated concentrations of zinc and copper were found in sediments and carcasses of 8-day-old red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) nestlings inhabiting stormwater sites. Although nesting success in the stormwater wetlands was comparable to national averages, sediment zinc concentrations correlated with clutch size, hatching success, fledgling success, and Mayfield nest success, suggesting that the nestlings may have been stressed and impaired by elevated zinc. This stress may have been direct on the nestlings or indirect through effects on the availability of food organisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 11510 American Holly Drive Laurel, Maryland 20708, USA

    Donald W. Sparling

  2. USDA APHIS Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 Laporte Avenue Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, USA

    John D. Eisemann

  3. Arkansas State University Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, POSC O-114 Fayetteville, Arizona 72701, USA

    Wayne Kuenzel

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  1. Donald W. Sparling
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  2. John D. Eisemann
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  3. Wayne Kuenzel
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Sparling, D., Eisemann, J. & Kuenzel, W. Contaminant Exposure and Effects in Red-Winged Blackbirds Inhabiting Stormwater Retention Ponds. Environmental Management 33, 719–729 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-003-0058-6

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