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Effects of injected methylmercury on the hatching of common loon (Gavia immer) eggs

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Abstract

To determine the level of in ovo methylmercury (MeHg) exposure that results in detrimental effects on fitness and survival of loon embryos and hatched chicks, we conducted a field study in which we injected eggs with various doses of MeHg on day 4 of incubation. Eggs were collected following about 23 days of natural incubation and artificially incubated to observe hatching. Reduced embryo survival was evident in eggs injected at a rate of ≥1.3 μg Hg/g wet-mass. When maternally deposited Hg and injected Hg were considered together, the median lethal concentration of Hg (LC50) was estimated to be 1.78 μg Hg/g wet-mass. Organ mass patterns from eggs of chicks injected at a rate of 2.9 μg Hg/g differed from that of controls and chicks from the 0.5 μg Hg/g treatment, largely related to a negative relation between yolk sac mass and egg mercury concentration. Chicks from eggs in the 2.9 μg Hg/g treatment were also less responsive to a frightening stimulus than controls and chicks from the 0.5 μg Hg/g treatment. We also found that the length of incubation period increased with increasing egg mercury concentration. Tissue Hg concentrations were strongly associated (r 2 ≥ 0.80) with egg Hg concentration.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the following individuals for their assistance: S. C. Houdek, C. D. Pollentier, T. Daulton, J. Wilson, P. Boma, M. Parrara, M. Stuber assisted with nest monitoring and egg collection; J. Bernardy prepared dose solutions; J. C. Filkins, E. L. Pfeiffer, and B. Raymond conducted laboratory mercury analyses; and Z. Guan provided advice on statistical analyses. G. Heinz, D. Hoffman, and J. Waide provided constructive comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. Financial and in-kind support for this project was provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Geological Survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, U. S. Geological Survey, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI, 54603, USA

    Kevin P. Kenow & Brian R. Gray

  2. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 107 Sutliff Ave., Rhinelander, WI, 54501, USA

    Michael W. Meyer

  3. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Large Lakes Research Station, 9311 Groh Road, Grosse Ile, MI, 48138, USA

    Ronald Rossmann

  4. The Comparative Pathology Laboratory—RARC, University of Wisconsin, 1710 Universtiy Ave., Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Annette Gendron-Fitzpatrick

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  1. Kevin P. Kenow
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  2. Michael W. Meyer
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  3. Ronald Rossmann
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  4. Annette Gendron-Fitzpatrick
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  5. Brian R. Gray
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Correspondence to Kevin P. Kenow.

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Kenow, K.P., Meyer, M.W., Rossmann, R. et al. Effects of injected methylmercury on the hatching of common loon (Gavia immer) eggs. Ecotoxicology 20, 1684–1693 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-011-0743-9

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