Dietary mercury exposure to endangered California Clapper Rails in San Francisco Bay
Marine Pollution Bulletin
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Abstract
California Clapper Rails (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) are an endangered waterbird that forage in tidal-marsh habitats that pose risks from mercury exposure. We analyzed total mercury (Hg) in six macro-invertebrate and one fish species representing Clapper Rail diets from four tidal-marshes in San Francisco Bay, California. Mercury concentrations among individual taxa ranged from lowest at Colma Creek (mean range: 0.09–0.2 μg/g dw) to highest at Cogswell (0.2–0.7), Laumeister (0.2–0.9) and Arrowhead Marshes (0.3–1.9). These spatial patterns for Hg matched patterns reported previously in Clapper Rail blood from the same four marshes. Over 25% of eastern mudsnails (Ilyanassa obsolete) and staghorn sculpin (Leptocottus armatus) exceeded dietary Hg concentrations (ww) often associated with avian reproductive impairment. Our results indicate that Hg concentrations vary considerably among tidal-marshes and diet taxa, and Hg concentrations of prey may provide an appropriate proxy for relative exposure risk for Clapper Rails.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Dietary mercury exposure to endangered California Clapper Rails in San Francisco Bay |
| Series title | Marine Pollution Bulletin |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.07.009 |
| Volume | 86 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Pergamon |
| Publisher location | New York, NY |
| Contributing office(s) | San Francisco Bay-Delta, Western Ecological Research Center |
| Description | 7 p. |
| First page | 254 |
| Last page | 260 |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Other Geospatial | San Francisco Bay |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |