Waterfowl wintering along the lower Penobscot River, Maine continue to be exposed to elevated Hg concentrations from the HoltraChem chlor-alkali plant that operated along the river between 1967 and 2000. In American black ducks (Anas rubripes) total Hg in duck breast muscle increased with residence time on contaminated marshes, reaching means of 0.82±0.21μg/g ww (wet weight) by the end of the fall hunting season, and prompting Maine to issue a human consumption advisory on duck breast muscle. Methyl Hg comprised over 99% of the total Hg in breast muscle. The ratio of Hg concentrations in blood and muscle were strongly correlated and approached 1:1 after extended residence times. Primary feather (P1) total Hg concentrations averaged 2.2±1.3μg/g fw (fresh weight), verifying low Hg exposure during feather growth on distant breeding grounds the preceding summer. Mercury concentrations in black ducks, following winter residence along the lower Penobscot exceeded levels associated with reproductive toxicity. Carry-over of Hg to summer breeding grounds may limit the subsequent reproductive success of black ducks.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.146 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Avian circoviruses and hepadnaviruses identified in tissue samples of various waterfowl.
Virology
December 2024
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; Structural Biology Research Unit, Department of Integrative, Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa. Electronic address:
North America is home to over 40 species of migratory waterfowl. Utilizing tissue and cloacal-swab sampling from hunter-harvested carcasses in 2021-2023, we identified circular DNA viruses associated with 116 waterfowl samples from nine species (American wigeons, Mexican ducks, northern shovelers, northern pintails, canvasbacks, mallards, American black ducks, gadwalls, and green-winged teals). We determined the genome sequences of viruses in the families Circoviridae (n = 18) and Hepadnaviridae (n = 2) from the 13 virus-infected birds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetermination of blood biochemical indices and research of egg quality-related candidate gene CDH5 in Putian black duck.
Gene
February 2025
College of Animal Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350000, China. Electronic address:
Improving egg quality and enhancing production efficiency are essential goals in poultry breeding. CDH5 encodes a cadherin involved in Ca transport in endothelial cells. The role of CDH5 in regulating duck egg quality and its mechanisms affecting Ca concentrations in duck uterine epithelial cells remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTranscriptome analysis reveals the regulatory mechanism of myofiber development in male and female black Muscovy duck at different ages.
Front Vet Sci
November 2024
Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangxi Poultry Engineering Technology Research Center, Jiangxi Poultry Breeding Engineering Laboratory, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
Introduction: Sexual dimorphism in Muscovy ducks results in substantial differences in muscle development potential between males and females, leading to significant variations in growth rates and body weights throughout their development.
Methods: This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying the differences in muscle development between genders in black Muscovy ducks, we analyzed the phenotypic characteristics and transcriptome profiles of breast muscles in male and female black Muscovy ducks at different developmental stages (postnatal days 28, 42, and 70).
Results: In the analysis of tissue physical morphology, the results showed that females exhibit larger myofiber diameters and lower myofiber densities compared to males at postnatal day 42 ( < 0.
Unique insights into morphological characterization and functional adaptation of the scaly shank skin in aquatic and terrestrial birds.
Sci Rep
November 2024
Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt.
The avian skin is a vital barrier against external effects and undergoes modification to adapt to the different ecosystems. The current study focused on the comprehensive study of the scaly shank skin of aquatic birds, Egyptian Balady Duck (EBD) as well as terrestrial birds, Broad Breasted White Turkey (BBWT) via gross anatomy, histology, and scanning electron microscopy with ED-XRF analysis. The shank skin color was yellow to black in EBD and creamy-white in BBWT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnalysis of genetic structure and identification of important genes associated with muscle growth in Fujian Muscovy duck.
Poult Sci
December 2024
General Animal husbandry Station of Fujian Province, Fuzhou, Fujian, China, 350003. Electronic address:
Fujian Muscovy duck is a well-known meat waterfowl in Fujian Province due to its high meat production, superior breeding potential, and strong resistance. To fully explore the genetic characteristics of these advantages, Fujian black Muscovy duck and white Muscovy duck were used for whole-genome re-sequencing and transcriptome analyses. Population structure analysis showed significant differentiation between the two feather strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!