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Elemental Contaminants in Livers of Mute Swans on Lakes Erie and St. Clair

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Abstract

Contaminant inputs to the lower Great Lakes (LGL) have decreased since the 1960s and 1970s, but elemental contaminants continue to enter the LGL watershed at levels that are potentially deleterious to migratory waterfowl. Mute swans (Cygnus olor) using the LGL primarily eat plants, are essentially nonmigratory, forage exclusively in aquatic systems, and have increased substantially in number in the last few decades. Therefore, mute swans are an ideal sentinel species for monitoring elemental contaminants available to herbivorous and omnivorous waterfowl that use the LGL. We investigated hepatic concentrations, seasonal dynamics, and correlations of elements in mute swans (n = 50) collected at Long Point, Lake Erie, and Lake St. Clair from 2001 to 2004. Elements detected in liver at levels potentially harmful to waterfowl were copper (Cu) [range 60.3 to 6063.0 μg g−1 dry weight (dw)] and selenium (SE; range 1.6 to 37.3 μg g−1 dw). Decreases in aluminum, Se, and mercury (Hg) concentrations were detected from spring (nesting) through winter (nonbreeding). Elemental contaminants may be more available to waterfowl during spring than fall and winter, but study of seasonal availability of elements within LGL aquatic systems is necessary. From April to June, 68% of mute swans had Se levels >10 μg g−1, whereas only 18% of swans contained these elevated levels of Se from July to March. An increase in the number of mute swans at the LGL despite elevated levels of Cu and Se suggests that these burdens do not substantially limit their reproduction or survival. Se was correlated with Cu (r = 0.85, p < 0.01) and Hg (r = 0.65, p < 0.01), which might indicate interaction between these elements. Some element interactions decrease the toxicity of both elements involved in the interaction. We recommend continued research of elemental contaminant concentrations, including detailed analyses of biological pathways and element forms (e.g., methylmercury) in LGL waterfowl to help determine the role of element interactions on their toxicity in waterfowl.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support was provided by Long Point Waterfowl, The Bluff’s Hunting Club, and the NSERC Metals in the Human Environment Strategic Network. Bird Studies Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service provided logistical support. We thank Canadian Wildlife Service employees (J. Haggeman, P. Ashley, D. Bernard, G. McCullough, and M. Brock), hunt club managers (M. Sylvain, R. Sylvain, R. Ferris, E. Vandommelle, R. Lozon, M. Meloche, L. Meloche, and J. Meloche), and volunteers (T. Hagen and D. Reimer) for field and laboratory assistance. B. Bailey, S. Fleming, and B. Scott provided helpful comments on the manuscript.

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  1. Long Point Waterfowl, Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON, N0E 1M0, Canada

    Michael L. Schummer, Scott A. Petrie & Shannon S. Badzinski

  2. Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada

    Misty Deming

  3. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada

    Yu-Wei Chen & Nelson Belzile

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  1. Michael L. Schummer
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Correspondence to Scott A. Petrie.

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Schummer, M.L., Petrie, S.A., Badzinski, S.S. et al. Elemental Contaminants in Livers of Mute Swans on Lakes Erie and St. Clair. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 61, 677–687 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-011-9659-x

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