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Mercury exposure and neurochemical impacts in bald eagles across several Great Lakes states

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Abstract

In this study, we assessed mercury (Hg) exposure in several tissues (brain, liver, and breast and primary feathers) in bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) collected from across five Great Lakes states (Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) between 2002–2010, and assessed relationships between brain Hg and neurochemical receptors (NMDA and GABAA) and enzymes (glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)). Brain total Hg (THg) levels (dry weight basis) averaged 2.80 μg/g (range: 0.2–34.01), and levels were highest in Michigan birds. THg levels in liver (r p  = 0.805) and breast feathers (r p  = 0.611) significantly correlated with those in brain. Brain Hg was not associated with binding to the GABAA receptor. Brain THg and inorganic Hg (IHg) were significantly positively correlated with GS activity (THg r p  = 0.190; IHg r p  = 0.188) and negatively correlated with NMDA receptor levels (THg r p  = −0245; IHg r p  = −0.282), and IHg was negatively correlated with GAD activity (r s  = −0.196). We also report upon Hg demethylation and relationships between Hg and Se in brain and liver. These results suggest that bald eagles in the Great Lakes region are exposed to Hg at levels capable of causing subclinical neurological damage, and that when tissue burdens are related to proposed avian thresholds approximately 14–27% of eagles studied here may be at risk.

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Acknowledgments

We thank collaborators within the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (Dave Sherman), Saving our Avian Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (Nancy Businga, Mike Meyer), the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Ling Shen, Ranjit Bhagyam) for their participation. Jennifer Rutkiewicz was funded by a University of Michigan Regent’s Fellowship. Funding for the study was provided by grants to Niladri Basu from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the Great Lakes Air Deposition (GLAD) program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 S. Observatory St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Jennifer Rutkiewicz, Dong-Ha Nam & Niladri Basu

  2. Wildlife Disease Lab, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Lansing, MI, 48190, USA

    Thomas Cooley

  3. Saving Our Avian Resources, Dedham, IA, 51440, USA

    Kay Neumann

  4. The Raptor Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Irene Bueno Padilla

  5. National Park Service, Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network, Ashland, WI, 54806, USA

    William Route

  6. Bureau of Wildlife Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI, 53707, USA

    Sean Strom

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  1. Jennifer Rutkiewicz
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  8. Niladri Basu
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Correspondence to Niladri Basu.

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Rutkiewicz, J., Nam, DH., Cooley, T. et al. Mercury exposure and neurochemical impacts in bald eagles across several Great Lakes states. Ecotoxicology 20, 1669–1676 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-011-0730-1

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