January
21, 2019, Great Hollow Nature Preserve & Ecological Research Center
Mercury
is a highly toxic and pervasive pollutant that has dramatically increased in
the environment as a result of coal combustion, gold mining, cement production,
hospital waste incineration, and various other human activities around the
globe. Its impacts on birds and other wildlife are not yet fully understood,
but a new study published in the journal Environmental
Pollution suggests that current levels of mercury contamination in many
parts of the world are capable of compromising the ability of birds, and likely
other vertebrates, to both conserve and rapidly exert energy when needed.
The
research team from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, College of William
& Mary, and Great Hollow Nature Preserve & Ecological Research Center
found that exposure to environmentally relevant dietary levels of mercury
significantly increased the resting metabolic rate of zebra finches while
significantly reducing the maximum rate at which they could sustain
high-intensity activity (i.e., their "peak metabolic rate").
"The
ability of birds and
most other living things to conserve and efficiently manage their energy is
critical for reproduction, self-maintenance, and even their overall
survival," said one of the study's authors, Chad Seewagen. "During
winter, for example, when temperatures are cold and food is extremely limited,
a bird's ability to conserve energy can easily mean the difference between life
and death. At the same time, the ability of birds to rapidly exert large
amounts of energy for behaviors like predator escape and long-distance flight
is also of critical importance."
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