Christine M Custer

Perfluoroalkyl contaminant exposure in tree swallows nesting at Clarks Marsh, Oscoda, MI Dataset

A site in north eastern MI, Oscoda Township, has some of the highest recorded exposure in birds to perfluorinated substances (PFASs) in the U.S. Some egg and plasma concentrations at that location exceeded the lowest reproductive effect threshold established for two avian laboratory species. The objectives of this study were to determine whether there were reproductive effects or physiological responses in a model bird species, the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), associated with this extremely high exposure to PFASs. The lack of exposure above background to other contaminants at this site allowed for an assessment of PFAS effects without the complication that responses may be caused by other contaminants. A...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Clarks Marsh, Oscoda, Michigan, USA, Oscoda, Michigan, USA, PFOS, Perfluorinated chemicals, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), All tags... Wurtsmith Airforce Base, Oscoda, Michigan, USA, biota, physiological responses, reproductive effects, tree swallows, Fewer tags

Multi-omics responses in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings from the Maumee Area of Concern, Maumee River, Ohio

Data used in the Maumee River omics publication, Multi-omics responses in tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings from the Maumee Area of Concern, Maumee River, Ohio. Tseng et al. 2023 Sci. Total Environ. 856:159130

Categories: Data; Tags: EROD, Ecology, Environmental Health, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Wildlife Biology, All tags... biota, genetic damage, metabolomics, oxidative stress, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, thryoid hormones, transcriptomics, tree swallows, Fewer tags

Annual Variation Birds as indicators of contaminants in the Great Lakes

Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) eggs and nestlings were collected from 16 sites across the Great Lakes to quantify normal annual variation in total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) exposure and to validate the sample size choice in earlier work. A sample size of 5 eggs or 5 nestlings per site was adequate to quantify exposure to PCBs in tree swallows given the current exposure levels and variation. There was no difference in PCB exposure in 2 randomly selected sets of 5 eggs collected in the same year, but analyzed in different years. Additionally, there was only modest annual variation in exposure, with between 69% (nestlings) and 73% (eggs) of sites having no differences between years. There was a tendency,...

Categories: Data; Tags: Areas of Concern (AOC), Great Lakes, Great Lakes Basin, PCBs, Tachycineta bicolor, All tags... Tree Swallows, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), annual variation, eggs, nestlings, Fewer tags

Key Findings Tree swallows were sampled at 6 locations in the Maumee River watershed, as part of a collaborative four-agency study on ecosystem effects of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) on biota. This study involved samples of sediment, benthic invertebrates, and an insectivorous bird, the tree swallow. Endpoints include assessment of changes in both the tree swallow metabolome and transcriptome to determine whether perturbations can be traced from ToxCaste, an in vitro water sample assessment through mussels/clams, fish, and birds. Avian tissues and food will be analyzed for CECs with an emphasis on agricultural pesticides. Other Great Lakes’ landscape types will be sampled in future years. Products...

Categories: Project; Tags: Avian tissues, CEC, Location: Maumee River, Sediment, Template 673, All tags... Template 725, benthic invertebrate, contaminants, tree swallows, Fewer tags

Reproductive success and contaminant associations in tree swallows (Tachnycineta bicolor) nesting in the U.S. and Binational Great Lakes' Areas of Concern data

During 2010-2014, tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) reproductive success was monitored at 68 sites across all 5 Great Lakes, including 58 sites located within Great Lakes Areas of concern (AOCs) and 10 non-AOCs. Sample eggs were collected from tree swallow clutches and analyzed for contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxin and furans, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and 34 other organic compounds. Contaminant data were available for 360 of the 1249 clutches monitored. Markov chain multistate modeling was used to assess the importance of 5 ecological and 11 of the dominant contaminants in explaining the pattern of egg and nestling failure rates. Four of 5 ecological variables (female Age, Date...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Areas of Concern, Great Lakes, PBDEs, PCBs, PCDD-F, All tags... Tachycineta bicolor, Tree swallows, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), egg failure probability, eggs, hatching success, industrial pollution, nestling failure probability, organic pesticides, reproductive success, Fewer tags