Evidence of Low-Habitat Contamination Using Feathers of Three Heron Species as a Biomonitor of Inorganic Elemental Pollution

Luca Canova, Michela Sturini, Antonella Profumo and Federica Maraschi
Additional contact information
Luca Canova: Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
Michela Sturini: Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
Antonella Profumo: Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
Federica Maraschi: Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, I-27100 Pavia, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: The concentration of 12 elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn) has been investigated in the feathers of three species of Ardeidae, namely the Grey Heron Ardea cinerea , the Little Egret Egretta garzetta , and the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, all breeding at a colony located in the southern Padana Plain (NW Italy). This study is a first step for an evaluation of possible direct effects of these elements on chicks’ survival and growth rate. Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn were in the range 7–69 mg Kg −1 , while lower levels of Pb, Ni, As, and Se (0.27–1.45 mg Kg −1 ) were measured. Co, Cd, and Cr were close to the method detection limits (MDLs) in all the species. The measured concentrations of the most abundant trace elements, such as Zn and Cu, seem to reflect the geochemical pattern of the background (running water and soil), while Hg concentration is lower and it appears to be biomagnified, particularly in Grey Heron feathers. Its concentration is higher in adults than in chicks, and it differs among the three species, as it is closely related to the fish-based dietary pattern. The measured trace elements’ concentrations are below the threshold levels in all the heron species, and consequently, harmful and acute effects on the local population are unlikely; the conservation status of herons populations in northern Italy is probably more affected by other factors, such as climate changes, altered aquatic environment, and, consequently, food quality.

Keywords: Grey Heron Ardea cinerea; Little Egret Egretta garzetta; Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis; biomonitoring of inorganic elements; trophic ecology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/7776/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/7776/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:7776-:d:433982

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().