Assessing mercury risk in a group of declining marsh birds

Tidal marsh sparrows are species of conservation concern primarily due to global sea-level rise and habitat loss, but mercury pollution may present additional threats to their reproductive success and survival. We identified clear bioaccumulation differences between species of similar niches, as well as pollution hotspots in previously unsampled areas of their breeding ranges.

Map of blood total mercury (THg) concentrations (µg/g ww) of breeding (a) saltmarsh sparrows and (b) seaside sparrows sampled from Maine to Virginia, USA between May 29 to July 31, 2018

Citation

Sayers II, C.J., M.R. Roeder, L.M. Forrette, D. Roche, G.L.B. Dupont, S.E. Apgar, A.R. Kocek, A.M. Cook, W.G. Shriver, C.S. Elphick, B. Olsen, and D.N. Bonter. 2021. Geographic variation of mercury in breeding tidal marsh sparrows of the northeastern United States. Ecotoxicology 30(9):1929–1940. [Article]

Additional materials

Slides, GitHub

Funded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, and Saltmarsh Habitat & Avian Research Program.