| Accession Number | 5004728 |
| Title | Use of the Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) to assess the bioavailability and effects |
| of contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed |
| Project Description | The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is known to be contaminated with organic and inorganic |
| contaminants. Rather than there being a continuous, homogeneous level of contaminants |
| throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries there are hot spots which have been |
| designated as areas of concern. In most cases the contaminants are present in the sediments. |
| They are generally present in the sediment in a particular area because of long term use patterns, |
| but because of dredging for a variety of reasons and the depositing of the sediment in different |
| locations the contaminated sediments can be found in a variety of locations. The classes of |
| contaminants that have been of concern are PCBs and other chlorinated hydrocarbons, polycyclic |
| aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metal ions such as Cu, Cd, Zn, and Hg, and more recently |
| pharmaceutical chemicals from concentrated animal feeding operations and sewage treatment |
| plants. We intend to ascertain, at a variety of locations, the bioavailability and possible risk of |
| terrestrial organisms to the classes of sediment contaminants enumerated above by the use of |
| the Tree Swallow as a sentinel species. Areas of concern for the National Park Service are two |
| reconstructed wetlands, Kingman Lake and Kenilworth Marsh, which were reconstructed with |
| Anacostia River sediments highly contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, |
| organochlorines, and heavy metals. The concern is that these wetlands will attract wildlife, which |
| may be exposed to harmful levels of contaminants from the sediments. The selected sentinel |
| species, the Tree Swallow, consume emergent aquatic insects from the immediate surroundings |
| and may be bioaccumulating contaminants. To evaluate contaminant bioavailability and possible |
| toxic effects, a study with the Tree Swallow will measure (1) organic and inorganic contaminants |
| in sediments, prey items, eggs, and tissues, (2) biochemical responses to different contaminant |
| classes, and (3) reproduction and growth. Two reference sites will represent baseline |
| contamination at a tidal Anacostia River site (Dueling Creek) and no contamination at a nontidal |
| (pond) Patuxent Research Refuge site that has previously been used as a clean reference site for |
| Tree Swallow studies. Within the USGS Chesapeake Bay Program a number of sites have been |
| selected for concentrated study. One of those currently receiving such attention is the Pocomoke |
| River. These studies have been concentrated on the aquatic environment and have not addressed |
| the exposure and possible harm to terrestrial species from the aquatic contaminants. The tree |
| swallow is being utilized as a sentinel species for the bioavailability and possible impact of aquatic |
| contaminants at a site on the Pocomoke River, Shelltown, where other units of the USGS are |
| studying the aquatic environment. Field work during 2002 will consist of expanding the work being |
| done at several sites on the Anacostia River |
| Keywords | risk assessment, sediment contaminants, tree swallows, |
| Principal | Mark J Melancon, Paruxent Wildlife Research Center: mark_melancon@usgs.gov; |
| Investigators |
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