Peter H. Albers

EFFECTS OF EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS OF FUEL OIL ON HATCHABILITY OF MALLARD EGGS

Abstract An experiment was performed to determine the toxicity of oil to incubating eggs. Number 2 fuel oil, a mixture of 9 paraffin compounds, and propylene glycol were applied to the surface of artificially incubated mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) eggs. Seven groups of 50 eggs each were treated with 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 μl of fuel oil, 50 μ1 of the paraffin mixture, and 50 μl of propylene glycol. Fifty untreated eggs served as a control. Microliter syringes were used to apply the liquid around the air cell end of the egg on the 8th day of incubation. Embryonic mortality was significantly greater (P ≤ 0.01) in all oil treated groups and the paraffin mixture group than in the control group. Most of the embryonic mortality for the oiled eggs occurred within 72 hours of treatment. Hatching and post-hatching (4 weeks) weights of the ducklings in all treatment groups were not significantly different (P > 0.01) from the control. Thus, the transfer of even small quantities of oil to the egg surface is sufficient to reduce hatchability.

EFFECTS OF EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS OF NO. 2 FUEL OIL ON COMMON EIDER EGGS

Abstract Because eggs of marine birds may be exposed to oil adhering to the feathers of adult birds, a study was undertaken to determine the effects of oil contamination. Two hundred common eider eggs (Somateria mollissima) were divided into four experimental sets of 50 each. Two sets were treated with No. 2 fuel oil in amounts of 5 μ1 and 20 μ1; a third with 20 μ1 of propylene glycol, a neutral blocking agent. The fourth set served as a control. Hatching success was 96 percent for the eggs treated with 20 μ1 propylene glycol, 96 percent for the controls, and 92 percent for the eggs treated with 5 μ1 oil hatched. Only 69 percent of the eggs treated with 20 μ1 of oil survived: a significant reduction in hatchability (P⋜0.05). Mean hatching weights for all sets were statistically equal. Thus, oil pollution may significantly increase embryonic mortality in marine birds.

Transfer of crude oil from contaminated water to bird eggs

Abstract Paris of breeding mallard ducks were exposed to oiled water for 2 days during the first week of incubation. Hatching success of ducks exposed to 100 ml of Prudhoe Bay crude oil per square meter of water surface was significantly less than that of controls. Hatching success of ducks exposed to 5 ml of crude oil per square meter of water surface was less than that of controls but the difference was not significant. The presence of oil on the eggs of ducks exposed to oiled water was confirmed by chemical analysis. Thermocouple probes were used to monitor the egg and nest temperatures of some of the ducks in each of the three groups. Incubation temperatures of oiled females were not significantly different from those of the controls. The incubation behavior of females exposed to oiled water and the first-week survival of their ducklings was not affected by the oil.

Effects of corexit 9527 on the hatchability of mallard eggs

The present paper reports the results of a study of the effects of Corexit 9527 dispersant, crude oil, and crude oil/Corexit 9527 mixtures on mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) embryos. Mallard eggs treated with 20 ul of crude oil, Corexit 9527, 30:1 oil/Corexit 9527, 5:1 oil/Corexit 9527, and 5 ul Corexit 9527 and 5:1 oil/Corexit 9527 had significantly (P less than or equal to 0.01) lower hatching success than the untreated control eggs. The comparisons between treated groups and the control and among treated groups were used to create a general toxicity ranking; (Corexit 9527 = 5:1 oil/Corexit 9527) > Prudhoe Bay crude oil > 30:1 oil/Corexit 9527.

No. 2 fuel oil decreases embryonic survival of great black-backed gulls

The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is widespread in the northern hemisphere, breeding south to Britain and Ireland on the European side of the Atlantic and to Long Island in the United States where populations have increased markedly during the last 50 years. With growing exploitation of oil/resources resources, seabird populations are being increasingly threatened by accidental oiling of individuals and the subsequent contamination of their eggs and young. It is generally agreed that gulls and terns, which spend much of their time airborne, are less vulnerable to oil pollution than alcids and seaducks. Nevertheless, oiled great black-backed gulls were sighted after the Argo Merchant spill off Nantucket Island in December 1976, demonstrating that this species of gull can be affected by surface oil. In this paper results are reported of two concurrent studies in which eggs of the great black-backed gull were externally contaminated with No. 2 fuel oil.

Effects of No. 2 fuel oil on common eider eggs

Abstract An oil spill near a breeding colony could result in the transfer of oil from the plumage and feet of incubating birds to their eggs. Microlitre amounts of No. 2 fuel oil were applied externally to common eider eggs in an island breeding colony in Maine. Clutches of eggs treated with 20 μl of fuel oil had significantly greater embryonic mortality than the control clutches when they were examined 7 days after treatment. The results are similar to those of an earlier study of artificially incubated common eider eggs and indicate that nest site conditions do not affect embryotoxicity of No. 2 fuel oil.

Effects of a chemical dispersant and crude oil on breeding ducks

Two-year old mallard ducks were exposed to Prudhoe Bay crude oil, Corexit dispersant or a mixture of the two. Percent hatching success, egg loss, and duckling survival were calculated for each clutch in the study. The absence of any differences among groups in general parental and incubation behavior, egg and nest temperatures, and duckling survival indicate that neither a light to moderate slick of undispersed oil or oil-Corexit 9527 mixture nor Corexit 9527 at a concentration up to 53 ppm in the water can be expected to reduce breeding success through behavioral alteration. A supplemental test showed that bird oiling can be reduced by dispersing part of the surface oil into the water column. (JMT)

FLIT-MLO and No. 2 fuel oil: Effects of aerosol applications to mallard eggs on hatchability and behavior of ducklings

FLIT-MLO and No. 2 fuel oil are sprayed on wetlands for mosquito control during spring and summer. In one experiment to assess the effects of the spraying on birds, mallard eggs were sprayed with amounts of No. 2 fuel oil equivalent to 2.34, 4.67, or 18.70 liters/ha or FLIT-MLO equivalent to 9.35, 46.75, or 140.25 liters/ha on Day 6 of incubation. In a second experiment, mallard eggs were sprayed with 9.35, 46.75, or 140.25 liters/ha of FLIT-MLO on Days 3, 6, 12, or 18 of incubation. Hatchability of eggs sprayed with the highest treatment level of each substance was significantly lower than that of controls for the first experiment. Hatchability of eggs sprayed with FLIT-MLO in the second experiment was never significantly lower than that of controls. Ducklings from the first experiment, 36-48 hr old, were cold stressed for 1 hr at 8 degrees C and then immediately tested for their ability to respond to a fright stimulus. Ducklings from the group of eggs sprayed with 140.25 liters/ha of FLIT-MLO ran a significantly shorter distance from the fright stimulus than did controls. The effects of the heaviest exposure to FLIT-MLO (140.25 liters/ha) on egg hatchability and behavior of newly hatched young are uncertain because of the contradictory results for hatching success in the two experiments. However, normal applications of FLIT-MLO (9.35-46.75 liters/ha) or No. 2 fuel oil (2.34-4.67 liters/ha) do not appear to pose a threat to the embryos of breeding birds.

Unweathered and weathered aviation kerosine: Chemical characterization and effects on hatching success of duck eggs

The results of a study of the effects of unweathered and weathered aviation kerosine on the hatchability of mallard duck eggs are reported. Egg hatching succes of the control group was not significantly different from that of any of the groups treated with unweathered or weathered aviation kerosine. These results mean that the eggs of waterfowl are probably not endangered by plumage transfer of small amounts of partially weathered kerosine to the eggs. (JMT)

Effects of tillage practices and carbofuran exposure on small mammals.

We compared population estimates, body mass, movement, and blood chemistry of small mammals between conventionally tilled and no-till cornfields in Maryland and Pennsylvania to evaluate the effects of tillage practices and carbofuran exposure on small mammals. Estimates suggest that populations of whitefooted mice (Peromyscus leucopus) were not significantly related (P > 0.05) to tillage practice or to the presence of winter rye cover crops. Late summer differences in animal mass and movement, and in the proportion of reproductively inactive animals imply that characteristics of individuals and reproductive activity can be affected by tillage practices and winter cover crops. The presence of granular carbofuran had no apparent effect on populations, body mass, or movement in conventionally tilled or no-till fields. Similarly, neither red blood cell acetylcholinesterase, hematocrit, nor liver function were affected by carbofuran use. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 54(1):135-142 Conservation tillage was used on 32% of the tilled farmland in the United States in 1988 (Conserv. Tillage Inf. Cent. 1988). The diversity and numbers of birds (Rodgers and Wooley 1983, Basore et al. 1986, Duebbert and Kantrud 1987), small mammals (Rodgers and Wooley 1983, Warburton and Klimstra 1984, Young 1984), and arthropods (Blumberg and Crossley 1983, Basore and Best 1985, House and Parmelee 1985) on conservation tillage land are generally equal to or greater than on conventional tillage land. Conservation tillage, especially no-till, is heavily dependent on herbicides for weed control and on insecticides for control of insect problems caused by the lack of disturbed soil and the presence of cover crops (Gebhardt et al. 1985, Fawcett 1987, Little 1987). This dependency results in large increases in herbicide use (Hileman 1982, Wauchope 1987); but, increased familiarity with conservation tillage and modifications in herbicide application methods could eliminate much of this increase (Fawcett 1987, 1Present address: Environmental Protection Administration, Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR 97330. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.116 on Sat, 11 Jun 2016 06:31:21 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 136 TILLAGE AND SMALL MAMMALS * Albers et al. J. Wildl. Manage. 54(1):1990 Table 1. Conventionally tilled and no-till cornfields in Maryland and Pennsylvania used in our study. Tillage and crop of the previous year are shown. Carbofuran Field Size (ha) (kg/ha) 1986 tillage Plant residue 1985 tillage