Eugene Cromartie

A survey of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, As, and Se in earthworms and soil from diverse sites.

Earthworms and soils were collected from 20 diverse sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and were analyzed for Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, As, and Se. Correlation coefficients relating concentrations of the elements in earthworms to concentrations in soil were low (−0.20<r<+0.57). Species differences and ecological variables contributed to the variability in concentrations of these elements in earthworms. The maximum concentrations of Pb (2100 ppm), Zn (1600 ppm), Cd (23 ppm) and Se (7.6 ppm) detected in earthworms were in the range reported to be toxic to animals fed diets containing these elements; however, even in the absence of any environmental contamination, some species of earthworms may contain high concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Se. Earthworms of the genus Eisenoides, for example, were exceptional in their ability to concentrate Pb. When earthworms are used as indicators of environmental contamination, it is important to identify the species, to report the soil characteristics, and to collect similar earthworms from very similar but uncontaminated soil.Earthworms and soils were collected from 20 diverse sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and were analyzed for Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, As, and Se. Correlation coefficients relating concentrations of the elements in earthworms to concentrations in soil were low (−0.20<r<+0.57). Species differences and ecological variables contributed to the variability in concentrations of these elements in earthworms. The maximum concentrations of Pb (2100 ppm), Zn (1600 ppm), Cd (23 ppm) and Se (7.6 ppm) detected in earthworms were in the range reported to be toxic to animals fed diets containing these elements; however, even in the absence of any environmental contamination, some species of earthworms may contain high concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Se. Earthworms of the genus Eisenoides, for example, were exceptional in their ability to concentrate Pb. When earthworms are used as indicators of environmental contamination, it is important to identify the species, to report the soil characteristics, and to collect similar earthworms from very similar but uncontaminated soil.

Interactive effects of arsenate, selenium, and dietary protein on survival, growth, and physiology in mallard ducklings

High concentrations of arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) have been found in aquatic food chains associated with irrigation drainwater. Total biomass of invertebrates, a major source of protein for wild ducklings, may vary in environments that are contaminated with selenium. Day-old mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings received an untreated diet (controls) containing 22% protein or diets containing 15 ppm Se (as selenomethionine), 60 ppm Se, 200 ppm As (as sodium arsenate), 15 ppm Se with 200 ppm As, or 60 ppm Se with 200 ppm As. In a concurrent experiment, the same sequence was repeated with a protein-restricted (7%) but isocaloric diet. After 4 weeks, blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical and histological examination. With 22% protein and 60 ppm Se in the diet, duckling survival and growth was reduced and livers had histopathological lesions. Arsenic alone caused some reduction in growth. Antagonistic interactive effects occurred between As and Se, including complete to partial alleviation of the following Se effects: mortality, impaired growth, hepatic lesions and lipid peroxidation, and altered glutathione and thiol status. With 7% protein, survival and growth of controls was less than that with 22% protein, Se (60 ppm) caused 100% mortality, and As (200 ppm) caused mortality, decreased growth, and liver histopathology. These findings suggest the potential for antagonistic effects of Se and As on duckling survival, growth, and physiology with adequate dietary protein but more severe toxicological effects when dietary protein is diminished.

Brown pelican: Population status, reproductive success, and organochlorine residues in Louisiana, 1971-1976

Brown Pelican: Population Status, Reproductive Success, and Organochlorine Residues in Louisiana, 1971-1976 L. Blus ~, E. Cromart ie 2, L. McNease 3, and T. Joanen 4 t2U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxenf Wildlife Research Center, 480 SW Airport Road, Corvallis, Ore. 97330, and 3,4Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Route 1, Box 20-B, Grand Chenier, La. 70643

Accumulation of methylmercury in the earthworm,Eisenia foetida, and its effect on regeneration

Earthworms provide an appropriate model for evaluating the environmental hazards of metals in soil, and they are also excellent organisms for studying the process of regeneration. Two studies have found that concentrations of mercury in earthworms were higher than those in the soil where they lived. This study investigates the accumulation of methylmercury in the earthworm, Eisenia foetida (Savigny), and its effect on regeneration after excision of the caudal end.

Interactive effects of selenium, methionine, and dietary protein on survival, growth, and physiology in mallard ducklings

Concentrations of over 100 ppm (100 mg/kg) selenium (Se) have been found in aquatic food chains associated with irrigation drainwater. Both quantity and composition of dietary protein for wild ducklings may vary in selenium-contaminated environments. Day-old mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) ducklings received one of the following diets containing 22% protein: unsupplemented (controls), 15 ppm Se (as selenomethionine), 60 ppm Se, methionine supplemented, 15 ppm Se with methionine supplement, or 60 ppm Se with methionine supplement. In a second concurrent experiment the above sequence was repeated with a protein-restricted (11%) but isocaloric diet. In a third concurrent experiment all ducklings received 44% protein with 0, 15, or 60 ppm Se added. After 4 weeks, blood and tissue samples were collected for biochemical and histological examination. With 22% protein and 60 ppm Se in the diet, duckling survival and growth was reduced and histopathological lesions of the liver occurred. Antagonistic interactive effects occurred between supplementary methionine and Se, including complete to partial alleviation of the following Se effects by methionine: mortality, hepatic lesions, and altered glutathione and thiol status. With 11% protein, growth of controls was less than that with 22% protein, Se (60 ppm) caused 100% mortality, and methionine supplementation, although protective afforded less protection than it did with 22% protein. With 44% protein, ducklings experienced physiological stress, and Se was more toxic than with methionine-supplemented 22% protein. These findings suggest the potential for antagonistic effects of Se, methionine, and protein on duckling survival and physiology.

Bird use and heavy metal accumulation in waterbirds at dredge disposal impoundments, Corpus Christi, Texas.

During 1979-80, several large impoundments (dredge-pits) on the south shore of Nueces Bay, Corpus Christi, Texas, were filled with sediments from dredging operations. Waterbirds were observed using these impounded areas as feeding and resting sites. Previously the authors found that shorebirds collected from underdeveloped areas in Nueces Bay in 1976-77 before the impoundments were built had high selenium and cadmium concentrations in their tissues. Thus, through the food web, waterbirds utilizing dredge disposal impoundments may be exposed to even higher concentrations of certain heavy metals. Their goal was to determine the extent to which aquatic birds used dredge-pits and to determine the accumulation of selected heavy metals in their tissues compared to non-industrialized areas.

Reproduction and residue accumulation in black ducks fed toxaphene

Three sets of 15 pairs of black ducks (Anas rubripes) were given 0, 10, or 50 ppm toxaphene in a dry mash diet for a period of 19 months, which included two breeding seasons. Survival of adults was not affected, but the weights of treated males were depressed during the summer months. Egg production, fertility, hatchability, eggshell thickness, growth, and survival of young did not vary with toxaphene ingestion in either breeding season. However, the mean number of days required to complete a clutch was lower in birds fed toxaphene than in birds on the control diet. Clutches of hens fed 50 ppm toxaphene showed improved hatching success in the second year of the study.Carcass wet-weight (70% moisture) residues in adults and the young birds averaged from 50 to 100% of the dietary concentration (7% moisture); egg residues showed a similar trend. Carcass residues did not reflect those found in the livers or brains of the adults, which seldom exceeded 0.5 ppm. Toxaphene residues were found in the brain of only one 10 ppm bird, but were present in nearly all of the 50 ppm birds. Toxaphene residues were present in the liver all all birds ingesting toxaphene.

Organochlorine and mercury residues in canvasback duck eggs, 1972-73

Eggs of canvasback ducks (Aythya valisineria) from several major breeding areas were analyzed for organochlorine and mercury residues. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were detected in 96 of 97 eggs, in concentrations up to 29 ppM (wet wt.). DDE occurred in 79% of the samples with a maximum residue of 12 ppM (wet wt.). DDT, DDD, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene, cis-chlordane, heptachlor epoxide, and oxychlordane were detected less frequently. Mercury was detected in only 6 of 34 eggs analyzed. Most of the eggs contained concentrations of organochlorines and mercury below levels known to cause adverse effects on avian survival or reproduction.

Avian cholera and organochlorine residues in an American oystercatcher

Pasteurella multocida, the causative bacterium of avian cholera, was isolated from cultures of the liver and heart blood of a female, adult American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) found dead on the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina, in May 1973. This is apparently the first record of avian cholera in the oystercatcher. Low levels of DDE were identified in tissues of the oystercatcher.