| | Accession Number | 5001855 |
| | Title | Physiological and teratogenic effects of mercury on aquatic birds nesting along the |
| | mid-to lower Carson River and vicinity, Nevada |
| | Project Description | Mining and milling operations in the middle Carson River Basin, Nevada, that peaked between |
| | 1865 and 1895, resulted in mercury contamination of the entire mid-to lower Carson River Basin, |
| | including wetlands in Lahontan Valley. In the Carson River system, levels of mercury in water, |
| | riverine sediments, and river bank materials have been found to be among the highest known |
| | worldwide. Lahontan Reservoir, the most important sport and commercial fishery on the Carson |
| | River system, supports a fish population containing some of the most elevated mercury |
| | concentrations in the drainage. This study is designed to evaluate the effects of mercury on |
| | reproductive success of aquatic birds, including fish-eating ones, with respect to threshold levels |
| | of effect (C.J. Henny, BRD) and useful bioindicators for monitoring. Potential bioindicators include |
| | teratogenesis, histopathology and physiological alterations and will be evaluated in black- crowned |
| | night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) and snowy egrets (Egretta thula) and cormorants. |
| | Measurements of blood chemistry and brain, liver and kidney biochemistry will be evaluated for |
| | tissue damage and oxidative stress. |
| | Keywords | carson river basin, egrets, herons, mercury, oxidative stress, reproduction, |
| | Principal | David J Hoffman, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: david_hoffman@usgs.gov; Gary H |
| | Investigators | Heinz, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: gary_heinz@usgs.gov; Charles J Henny, Forest |
| | and Rangeland Ecosystems Science Center: henny@fsl.orst.edu; |
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