PARENT SESSION

PH25 Wildlife Ecotoxicology II
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Thursday

(PH288) Environmental contaminant exposure of white-winged doves collected in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, USA.

Fredricks, T¹, Fedynich, A¹, Benn, S², ¹ Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA² Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Edinburg, TX, USA

ABSTRACT- Our study was designed to determine if white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica asiatica) breeding in areas where environmentally persistent contaminants occur in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) are acquiring contaminants. The population of white-winged doves in the LRGV has declined over the past 50-70 years, while expanding its range and numbers outside the LRGV in Texas. Research has shown that even though the United States and Texas are enforcing stricter environmental contaminant regulations, certain wildlife species are still acquiring a variety of agricultural pesticides and industrial compounds. We trapped juvenile white-winged doves (n=10) in Kingsville, Texas, during summer 2002, and housed the doves at Texas A&M University-Kingsville research aviary for use as control specimens. During the 2003 breeding season, at least 4 male and 4 female adult white-winged doves were collected from 8 urban/industrial and agricultural habitats in the LRGV (n=70). Liver tissues were analyzed for 10 major and trace elements, and muscle tissues were analyzed for organochlorine compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, and toxaphene at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech University. Mercury concentrations differed significantly (P=0.049) among areas, but no sites had significantly higher values than the control group. Metals (range g/g) analyzed included the following: nickel (ND-8.17), selenium (0.60-7.65), chromium (ND-1.79), silver (ND-22.19), arsenic (ND-3.34), cadmium (0.10-8.14), copper (7.81-22.83), lead (ND-10.43), zinc (42.28-313.55), and mercury (0.009-0.430). No samples had detectable levels of polychlorinated biphenyls or toxaphene. Organochlorine compounds detected (range ng/g) included the following: 13 samples with DDE (0.53-70.60), 5 samples with dieldrin (1.03-72.26), 2 samples with G-BHC (2.40-11.20), 1 sample with DDT (2.96), and 1 sample with chlordane isomers (2.30). Overall, concentrations found in white-winged doves sampled in the LRGV were at levels not known to impair reproduction and survival.

Key words: organochlorine compounds, white-winged dove, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals