Journal
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
Volume 35, Issue 6, Pages 1516-1525Publisher
WILEY-BLACKWELL
DOI: 10.1002/etc.3301
Keywords
Lead poisoning; Immune response; Carotenoid-based coloration; Waterfowl; Shot
Categories
Funding
- Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [CGL2007-62797, CGL2010-17030]
- FPI [BES-2011-045670]
- Juan de la Cierva program
- Ebro Delta Natural Park
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The ingestion of spent lead (Pb) from ammunition is a known cause of mortality in waterfowl, but little is known about sublethal effects produced by Pb poisoning on birds, especially in wild populations. The authors studied potential sublethal effects associated with Pb exposure in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from the Ebro delta (northeastern Spain) after a ban on Pb ammunition. They analyzed the relationships between blood Pb levels and oxidative stress, immune response, and carotenoid-based coloration, which are known to be influenced by oxidative stress. Levels of Pb were reduced by half from 6 yr to 9 yr after the ban. Lipid peroxidation was positively related to Pb levels in females. The d-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity was suppressed by Pb exposure and negatively associated with the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Carotenoid levels were positively associated with blood Pb concentration in both sexes, and males with higher Pb levels presented a less intense coloration in legs and beak. Levels of Pb were positively related to hemolytic activity of circulating immune system components and negatively related to lysozyme levels. In summary, Pb exposure was associated in a gender-specific way with increased oxidative stress, consequences on color expression, and impaired constitutive immunity. In females, antioxidants seemed to be allocated mostly in reproduction rather than in self-maintenance, whereas males seemed to better maintain oxidative balance to the detriment of coloration. (C) 2015 SETAC
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available