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Biomarker Responses in Nesting, Common Eiders in the Canadian Arctic in Relation to Tissue Cadmium, Mercury and Selenium Concentrations

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Abstract

Populations of many North American sea ducks are declining. Biomarkers may offer valuable insights regarding the health and fitness of sea ducks in relation to contaminant burdens. In this study we examined body condition, immune function, corticosterone stress response, liver glycogen levels and vitamin A status in relation to tissue concentrations of mercury, selenium and cadmium in female common eiders during the nesting period. The study was conducted in the eastern Canadian arctic during July, 2000. Hepatic mercury, selenium and renal cadmium concentrations ranged 1.5–9.8, 6.5–47.5 and 74–389 µg/g, dry wt, respectively. Mercury concentrations were negatively related to dissection body mass, heart mass and fat mass. Cadmium concentrations were negatively related to mass at capture and dissection mass after controlling for the mercury concentration–dissection mass relationship. Cell-mediated immunity was assessed by the skin swelling reaction to an injection of phytohemagglutinin-P, and was unrelated to metal concentrations. After adjusting the corticosterone concentration to account for the time between capture and sampling, there was a negative relationship between the residual corticosterone concentration and selenium. Liver glycogen concentrations were not significantly related to metal concentrations. Mercury concentrations were positively related to those of hepatic retinol and retinyl palmitate and the ratio of the retinol to retinyl palmitate in liver. They were negatively related to the ratio of plasma to liver retinol. Our findings do not indicate that exposure to metals may have adversely affected the health of these birds. They do, however, suggest that more research is required to elucidate mechanisms by which exposure to these metals could impact body condition.

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  1. Environment Canada, Prairie and Northern Region, Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre, 115 Perimeter rd, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 0X4

    Mark Wayland & Jonathan Keating

  2. Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Dr, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5B3

    Judit J.E.G. Smits

  3. Canadian Wildlife Service, Prairie and Northern Region, Suite 301, 5204-50th St, Yellowknife, NT, Canada, X1A 1E2

    H. Grant Gilchrist

  4. Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5E2

    Tracy Marchant

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Wayland, M., Smits, J.J., Grant Gilchrist, H. et al. Biomarker Responses in Nesting, Common Eiders in the Canadian Arctic in Relation to Tissue Cadmium, Mercury and Selenium Concentrations. Ecotoxicology 12, 225–237 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022506927708

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