In the fall of 2013, Biodiversity Research Institute (Gorham, ME, USA) partnered with Sustenta So... more In the fall of 2013, Biodiversity Research Institute (Gorham, ME, USA) partnered with Sustenta Soluciones S.A. de C.V. (México City, México) to conduct a three-week pilot environmental study along a 200-km stretch of coastline in the State of Guerrero. The focus was on three common pollutants often used as reliable predictors of ecological toxicity: plastics, mercury, and petroleum (PAHs). The pilot was a component of a much larger conservation campaign called Limpia Guerrero 2013 funded by the State of Guerrero. Marine Plastics Pollution. Beach debris abundance was estimated from one-meter-wide belt surveys along 100-m stretches of beach on seven beaches between Acapulco to Zihuatenejo/Ixtapa, sorted and categorized by 10 types, and weighed. Nearly 9,700 pieces of litter were collected from a total sample area of 1.5 hectares. Litter density varied from 0.42 to 44.26 pieces per m2. As a category of debris, plastics pollution varied from 0.05 to 4.44 pieces per m2 of beach. The aver...
We report the first published record of Tricolored Munia (Lonchura malacca) for Nicaragua, thus a... more We report the first published record of Tricolored Munia (Lonchura malacca) for Nicaragua, thus adding to our knowledge of its distribution in the New World. Escaped cage birds have established multi-focal feral populations, thereby expediting the species' range expansion in Mesoamerica from Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama to northwestern South America (Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador) and northward to Mexico and the United States of America. Tricoulored Munia has the potential of becoming a major agricultural pest in Latin America and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere and thus its populations and movements should be closely monitored.
Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed environmental contaminant with a variety of deleterious ef... more Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed environmental contaminant with a variety of deleterious effects in fish, wildlife, and humans. Breeding songbirds may be useful sentinels for Hg across diverse habitats because they can be effectively sampled, have well-defined and small territories, and can integrate pollutant exposure over time and space. We analyzed blood total Hg concentrations from 8,446 individuals of 102 species of songbirds, sampled on their breeding territories across 161 sites in eastern North America [geometric mean Hg concentration = 0.25 μg/g wet weight (ww), range <0.01-14.60 μg/g ww]. Our records span an important time period-the decade leading up to implementation of the USEPA Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which will reduce Hg emissions from coal-fired power plants by over 90 %. Mixed-effects modeling indicated that habitat, foraging guild, and age were important predictors of blood Hg concentrations across species and sites. Blood Hg concentrations in ad...
Abstract Hybridization between Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson's Sparro... more Abstract Hybridization between Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson's Sparrow (A. nelsoni) has been documented in areas where the two species occur sympatrically, increasing the difficulty of accurate species identification. We developed a ...
. Methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, can damage health of humans and wildlife. In 2012, we colle... more . Methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, can damage health of humans and wildlife. In 2012, we collected 73 blood and feather samples from birds among diverse foraging guilds to assess mercury exposure in wetland habitats associated with Lakes Managua and Nicaragua. Blood levels (0.72 parts per million) in a piscivorous Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus from Lake Managua exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency recommended screening value for fish consumption of 0.3 ppm. Cormorants should be considered as an upper trophic level bioindicator of aquatic Hg toxicity. Of all the wetland invectivorous birds sampled, Northern Jaçana Jacana spinosa had the highest blood mercury concentrations (0.42 ppm) and we consider it as a bioindicator of wetland contaminants. Four of five species exhibiting the highest levels of blood mercury were piscivores and ground foraging invertivores. Several neotropical migrants exceeded feather concentration of >3.0 ppm and are c...
In the fall of 2013, Biodiversity Research Institute (Gorham, ME, USA) partnered with Sustenta So... more In the fall of 2013, Biodiversity Research Institute (Gorham, ME, USA) partnered with Sustenta Soluciones S.A. de C.V. (México City, México) to conduct a three-week pilot environmental study along a 200-km stretch of coastline in the State of Guerrero. The focus was on three common pollutants often used as reliable predictors of ecological toxicity: plastics, mercury, and petroleum (PAHs). The pilot was a component of a much larger conservation campaign called Limpia Guerrero 2013 funded by the State of Guerrero. Marine Plastics Pollution. Beach debris abundance was estimated from one-meter-wide belt surveys along 100-m stretches of beach on seven beaches between Acapulco to Zihuatenejo/Ixtapa, sorted and categorized by 10 types, and weighed. Nearly 9,700 pieces of litter were collected from a total sample area of 1.5 hectares. Litter density varied from 0.42 to 44.26 pieces per m2. As a category of debris, plastics pollution varied from 0.05 to 4.44 pieces per m2 of beach. The aver...
We report the first published record of Tricolored Munia (Lonchura malacca) for Nicaragua, thus a... more We report the first published record of Tricolored Munia (Lonchura malacca) for Nicaragua, thus adding to our knowledge of its distribution in the New World. Escaped cage birds have established multi-focal feral populations, thereby expediting the species' range expansion in Mesoamerica from Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama to northwestern South America (Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador) and northward to Mexico and the United States of America. Tricoulored Munia has the potential of becoming a major agricultural pest in Latin America and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere and thus its populations and movements should be closely monitored.
Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed environmental contaminant with a variety of deleterious ef... more Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed environmental contaminant with a variety of deleterious effects in fish, wildlife, and humans. Breeding songbirds may be useful sentinels for Hg across diverse habitats because they can be effectively sampled, have well-defined and small territories, and can integrate pollutant exposure over time and space. We analyzed blood total Hg concentrations from 8,446 individuals of 102 species of songbirds, sampled on their breeding territories across 161 sites in eastern North America [geometric mean Hg concentration = 0.25 μg/g wet weight (ww), range <0.01-14.60 μg/g ww]. Our records span an important time period-the decade leading up to implementation of the USEPA Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which will reduce Hg emissions from coal-fired power plants by over 90 %. Mixed-effects modeling indicated that habitat, foraging guild, and age were important predictors of blood Hg concentrations across species and sites. Blood Hg concentrations in ad...
Abstract Hybridization between Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson's Sparro... more Abstract Hybridization between Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson's Sparrow (A. nelsoni) has been documented in areas where the two species occur sympatrically, increasing the difficulty of accurate species identification. We developed a ...
. Methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, can damage health of humans and wildlife. In 2012, we colle... more . Methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, can damage health of humans and wildlife. In 2012, we collected 73 blood and feather samples from birds among diverse foraging guilds to assess mercury exposure in wetland habitats associated with Lakes Managua and Nicaragua. Blood levels (0.72 parts per million) in a piscivorous Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus from Lake Managua exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency recommended screening value for fish consumption of 0.3 ppm. Cormorants should be considered as an upper trophic level bioindicator of aquatic Hg toxicity. Of all the wetland invectivorous birds sampled, Northern Jaçana Jacana spinosa had the highest blood mercury concentrations (0.42 ppm) and we consider it as a bioindicator of wetland contaminants. Four of five species exhibiting the highest levels of blood mercury were piscivores and ground foraging invertivores. Several neotropical migrants exceeded feather concentration of >3.0 ppm and are c...
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