Belted kingfishers as ecological monitors of contamination: A review

Technical Report · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10135364· OSTI ID:10135364

Landrum, C L ^[1]; Ashwood, T L; Cox, D K ^[2]

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1. North Texas Univ., Denton, TX (United States). Dept. of Biology
2. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

Aquatic systems serve as transport pathways and reservoirs for most of the contaminants known to be present on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). Organisms that live in aquatic systems accumulate some of these contaminants from their food and directly from the water or sediment. A wide array of terrestrial organisms feeds on aquatic organisms and may accumulate contaminants from aquatic prey. The belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) is a piscivorous and territorial avian species that may be a suitable monitor of contaminant accumulation at specific sites on the ORR. A kingfisher collected on White Oak Lake in 1991 had a {sup 137}Cs concentration of 568 pCi/g in muscle tissue, which exceeds levels found in any other waterfowl collected from the lake. An investigation into the efficacy of using the kingfisher as an ecological indicator of aquatic contaminants on the ORR was initiated in late August 1992. The primary objective of this study was to acquire information concerning the ecology of the kingfisher to determine how the species could be used within the framework of the Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A second important objective of the study was to examine the possible somatic and reproductive effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Hg, and various radioactive contaminants on piscivorous birds by reviewing pollution ecology studies conducted on those species.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 10135364
• Report Number(s): ORNL/M--2533; ON: DE93008983
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320
540330
540350
560300
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
BIRDS
CESIUM 137
CHEMICALS METABOLISM AND TOXICOLOGY
CHEMICALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
CONTAMINATION
FEATHERS
FISHES
FOOD CHAINS
KIDNEYS
MERCURY
OAK RIDGE RESERVATION
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES
SURFACE WATERS
TOXIC MATERIALS