Abstract
Distribution of mercury between tissues was investigated in black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) chicks fed doses of methyl mercury. Mercury accumulated differentially in the internal tissues, concentrations in the kidney exceeding those in the liver, which in turn exceeded those in the muscle. All feather types contained higher mercury concentrations than internal tissues. For each dose group, there was a progressive and pronounced reduction in the concentrations of mercury found in the primary feathers as the growth sequence progressed. The amount of mercury given to the birds affected the proportion of mercury deposited in the kidney, carcass, and primaries. The amount of mercury administered had no effect on the proportion of mercury excreted either in the faeces or the feathers. 71% of the doses given was excreted over the fledging period, and 49% of the dose was found in the plumage. These figures allow a more quantitative approach to measuring mercury pollution.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Appelquist H, Drabaek I, Asbirk S (1985) Variation in mercury content of guillemot feathers over 150 years. Mar Pollut Bull 16:244–248
Backstrom J (1969) Distribution studies of mercuric pesticides in quail and some fresh water fishes. Acta Pharmac Toxicol 27:Suppl 3
Barrett RT, Skaare JU, Norheim G, Vader W, Froslie A (1988) Persistent organochlorines and mercury in eggs of Norwegian seabirds 1983. Environ Pollut (A) 39:79–93
Blus LJ, Neely BS, Lamont TG, Mulhem B (1977) Residues of organochlorines and heavy metals in tissues and eggs of brown pelicans, 1969–73. Pestic Monit J 11:40
Borg K, Wanntorp H, Erne K, Hanko E (1966) Mercury poisoning in Swedish wildlife. J Appl Ecol Suppl 3
Braune BM (1987) Comparison of total mercury levels in relation to diet and moult for nine species of marine birds. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 16:217–222
Braune BM, Gaskin DE (1987a) A mercury budget for the Bonaparte's gull during autumn moult. Ornis Scand 18:244–250
—, — (1987b) Mercury levels in Bonaparte's gull (Lams Philadelphia) during autumn moult in the Quoddy region, New Brunswick, Canada. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 16:539–549
Bryan GW (1979) Bioaccumulation of marine pollutants. Phil Trans Roy Soc Lond B 286:483–505
Bull KR, Cheng L, Murton RK, Osborn D, Ward P (1977) High levels of cadmium in Atlantic seabirds and seaskaters. Nature 269:507–509
Evans PR, Moon SJ (1981) Heavy metals in shorebirds and their prey in north-east England. In: Say PJ, Whitton BA (eds) Heavy metals in northern England: Environmental and biological aspects. Univ of Durham, Durham, pp 181–190
Furness RW, Hutton M (1979) Pollutant levels in the Great SkuaCatharacta skua. Environ Pollut 19:261–268
—, — (1980) Pollutants and impaired breeding of Great SkuasCatharacta skua in Britain. Ibis 122:88–94
Furness RW, Muirhead SJ, Woodburn M (1986) Using birds feathers to measure mercury in the environment: Relationships between mercury content and moult. Mar Pollut Bull 17:27–30
Heinz G (1974) Effects of low dietary levels of methyl-mercury on mallard reproduction. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 11:386–392
Honda K, Nasu T, Tatsukawa R (1986) Seasonal changes in mercury accumulation in the Black-eared Kite,Milvus migrans lineatus. Environ Pollut Ser A 42:325–334
Hutton M (1981) Accumulation of heavy metals and selenium in three seabird species from the United Kingdom. Environ Pollut Ser A 26:129–145
Lantzy RJ, Mackenzie FT (1979) Atmospheric trace metals: Global cycles and assessment of man's input. Geochim et Cosmochik Acta 43:511–515
March BE, Poon R, Chu S (1983) The dynamics of ingested methyl mercury in growing and laying chickens. Poultry Sci 62:1000–1009
Miller VL, Klavano PA, Csonka E (1960) Absorption, distribution and excretion of phenyl mercuric acetate. Toxicol Applied Pharmacol 2:344–352
Muirhead SJ, Furness RW (1988) Heavy metal concentrations in the tissues of seabirds from Gough island, South Atlantic Ocean. Mar Pollut Bull 19:278–283
Nicholson JK (1981) The comparative distribution of zinc, cadmium and mercury in selected tissues of the herring gull (Larus argentatus). Comp Biochem Physiol 68:91–94
Nicholson JK, Osborn D (1984) Kidney lesions in juvenile starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) fed on a mercury contaminated synthetic diet. Environ Pollut (A) 33:195–206
Noble DG, Elliot JE (1986) Environmental contaminants in Canadian seabirds, 1968–1984: Trends and effects. Technical Report Series No 13, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa
Swenson A, Ulfvarson U (1982) Distribution and excretion of various mercury compounds after single injections in poultry. Acta Pharmacol et Toxicol 26:259–272
Thompson DR, Furness RW (1989a) The chemical form of mercury stored in South Atlantic seabirds. Environ Pollut 60:305–317
—, — (1989b) Comparison of the levels of total and organic mercury in seabird feathers. Mar Pollut Bull 20:577–579
Voitkevich AA (1966) The feathers and plumage of birds. October House Inc. New York
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lewis, S.A., Furness, R.W. Mercury accumulation and excretion in laboratory reared black-headed gullLarus ridibundus chicks. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 21, 316–320 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055352
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01055352