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Wetland water-management may influence mercury bioaccumulation in songbirds and ducks at a mercury hotspot data release

Dates

Publication Date
Start Date
2017
End Date
2017

Citation

Winder, V.L., Anteau, M.J., Fisher, M.R., Wilcox, M., Igl, L.D., and Ackerman, J.T., 2018, Wetland water-management may influence mercury bioaccumulation in songbirds and ducks at a mercury hotspot data release: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VYLN0N.

Summary

We examined the role of wetland water-management on mercury bioaccumulation in songbirds and ducks. This database contains records of mercury concentrations in blood of wetland-foraging songbirds (80 common yellowthroats [Geothlypis trichas] and 14 Nelson’s sparrows [Ammospiza nelsoni]) and eggs of upland-nesting ducks (28 gadwall [Mareca strepera], 19 blue-winged teal [Spatula discors], and 13 northern shoveler [S. clypeta]) across four wetland water-management classifications at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge Complex, near Grand Forks, North Dakota USA.

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Attached Files

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NorthDakotaDuckEggHg_2017.csv 3.15 KB text/csv
NorthDakotaSongbirdBloodHg_2017.csv 4.87 KB text/csv

Purpose

The objective of our study was to investigate the role of wetland water-management on mercury bioaccumulation in wildlife at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge. We assessed mercury concentrations in wetland-dependent songbirds and upland-nesting ducks among four wetland water-management classifications, each with different combinations of water flow and water level (draw-down) conditions: 1) isolated-depressional wetlands with no outflow (not directly connected to other surface water), 2) impounded wetlands with water flow, 3) partially drawn-down wetlands with water flow, and 4) drawn-down wetlands with water flow. The water-management conditions in the latter three groups span a spectrum of draw-down in wetlands that have some water flow. These classifications differ primarily in the ratio of stagnant vs. flowing water in the wetland, with less stagnant water in wetlands with increased draw-down (decreased water level). Additionally, we evaluated whether the previously documented high methylmercury concentrations in Nelson’s sparrows continued to be elevated 6 years after the initial findings.

Additional Information

Identifiers

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DOI https://www.sciencebase.gov/vocab/category/item/identifier doi:10.5066/P9VYLN0N

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