| | 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 |
Return to SIS Projects Listing
