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Mercury correlates with altered corticosterone but not testosterone or estradiol concentrations in common loons.
- Source :
-
Ecotoxicology and environmental safety [Ecotoxicol Environ Saf] 2017 Aug; Vol. 142, pp. 348-354. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Apr 28. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- We investigated the relation between environmental mercury exposure and corticosterone concentrations in free-living adult common loons (Gavia immer). We determined blood and feather mercury concentrations and compared them to testosterone, estradiol, and stress-induced plasma corticosterone concentrations. Although neither testosterone nor estradiol correlated with Hg levels, there was a robust positive relation between blood Hg and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations in males, but not in females. The lack of an effect in females may have been due to overall less contamination in females. There were no significant correlations between feather Hg and stress-induced corticosterone in either sex. To help determine whether Hg had a causal effect on corticosterone, we investigated the impact of experimental Hg intake on the corticosterone stress response in captive juvenile loons. Juveniles were subjected to three different feeding regimes: 0, 0.4 and 1.2μg Hg (as MeHgCL)/g wet weight (ww) fish. We then measured baseline and 30min post-solitary confinement stressor corticosterone concentrations. The Hg fed chicks exhibited a decreased ability to mount a stress response. From these data, we conclude that Hg contamination does appear to alter the corticosterone response to stress, but not in a consistent predictable pattern. Regardless of the direction of change, however, exposure to mercury contamination and the resulting impact on the corticosterone stress response in common loons may substantially impact health, fitness and survival.<br /> (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Animals
Birds blood
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Environmental Pollutants blood
Feathers chemistry
Female
Fishes metabolism
Male
Mercury blood
Sex Factors
Stress, Psychological blood
Birds metabolism
Corticosterone blood
Environmental Monitoring methods
Environmental Pollutants analysis
Estradiol blood
Mercury analysis
Testosterone blood
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1090-2414
- Volume :
- 142
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 28437726
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.04.030