scholarly journals Tree Swallows: A Nationwide Sentinel Species for Assessing and Monitoring Aquatic Contamination

Fact Sheet ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Custer ◽  
Thomas Custer
Keyword(s):  
Sentinel Species ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Aquatic Contamination

scholarly journals Shellfish Toxin Uptake and Depuration in Multiple Atlantic Canadian Molluscan Species: Application to Selection of Sentinel Species in Monitoring Programs

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 168
Author(s):  
Wade A. Rourke ◽  
Andrew Justason ◽  
Jennifer L. Martin ◽  
Cory J. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Sentinel Species ◽  
Paralytic Shellfish Toxins ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Paralytic Shellfish ◽  
Shellfish Toxin ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Toxin Uptake ◽  
Bivalve Shellfish ◽  
Selection Of

Shellfish toxin monitoring programs often use mussels as the sentinel species to represent risk in other bivalve shellfish species. Studies have examined accumulation and depuration rates in various species, but little information is available to compare multiple species from the same harvest area. A 2-year research project was performed to validate the use of mussels as the sentinel species to represent other relevant eastern Canadian shellfish species (clams, scallops, and oysters). Samples were collected simultaneously from Deadmans Harbour, NB, and were tested for paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) and amnesic shellfish toxin (AST). Phytoplankton was also monitored at this site. Scallops accumulated PSTs and AST sooner, at higher concentrations, and retained toxins longer than mussels. Data from monitoring program samples in Mahone Bay, NS, are presented as a real-world validation of findings. Simultaneous sampling of mussels and scallops showed significant differences between shellfish toxin results in these species. These data suggest more consideration should be given to situations where multiple species are present, especially scallops.

Salmonellainfection in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), a marine mammal sentinel species: pathogenicity and molecular typing ofSalmonellastrains compared with human and livestock isolates

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1078-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna L. Baily ◽  
Geoffrey Foster ◽  
Derek Brown ◽  
Nicholas J. Davison ◽  
John E. Coia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Molecular Typing ◽  
Sentinel Species ◽  
Halichoerus Grypus

scholarly journals Environmental determinants of haemosporidian parasite prevalence in a declining population of Tree swallows

Parasitology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (7) ◽  
pp. 961-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Turcotte ◽  
Marc Bélisle ◽  
Fanie Pelletier ◽  
Dany Garant
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Environmental Determinants ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasite ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasites

AbstractThe prevalence of vector-borne parasites such as haemosporidian species is influenced by several environmental factors. While the negative effects of parasitism on hosts are well documented, these can also be amplified by interactions with environmental stressors, many of which are anthropogenic. Yet, we know little about the possible effects of anthropogenic perturbations on parasite prevalence. The goals of this study were to assess the prevalence and environmental determinants of haemosporidian parasites in a declining population of Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) living in an agricultural landscape in southern Québec, Canada. Overall, a low prevalence and a moderate lineage diversity were identified in both adults and nestlings, confirming that transmission can occur during the breeding period. Anthropic areas, extensive cultures (hayfields and pastures) and forest cover within 500 km of nest boxes, as well as daily temperature fluctuations, were all related to infection by haemosporidian parasites. These findings suggest that anthropogenic alterations of landscape composition can modulate the prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in Tree swallows. Our results represent a baseline for future comparative studies assessing haemosporidian parasite prevalence in human-modified landscapes.

Effects of breeding density, synchrony, and experience on extrapair paternity in tree swallows

1994 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter O. Dunn ◽  
Linda A. Whittingham ◽  
Jan T. Lifjeld ◽  
Raleigh J. Robertson ◽  
Peter T. Boag
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Density ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Extrapair Paternity

scholarly journals Do Hormones, Telomere Lengths, and Oxidative Stress form an Integrated Phenotype? A Case Study in Free-Living Tree Swallows

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Q. Ouyang ◽  
Á. Z. Lendvai ◽  
I. T. Moore ◽  
F. Bonier ◽  
M. F. Haussmann
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Living Tree ◽  
And Oxidative Stress

Site fidelity of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus): insights from stable carbon and nitrogen analysis

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 1717-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Gray ◽  
R A Cunjak ◽  
K R Munkittrick
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Fish Muscle ◽  
Sentinel Species ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Cottus Cognatus ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Slimy Sculpin

Concerns regarding sentinel species for assessing environmental impacts include residency, abundance, and suitability for measuring responses, if effects are to be attributable to local conditions. Stable isotope analysis was used as a tool to investigate site fidelity of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) to establish residency and exposure for the sculpin. We predicted that sculpin collected from sites adjacent to agricultural activity would show higher δ15N values than those collected from sites in forested areas because of isotopic enrichment by fertilizers in the former. The predominant use of chemical fertilizer applications in the region, however, resulted in no specific enrichment of 15N in sculpin collected in the agricultural region. However, there was an incremental enrichment in the fish muscle tissue of approximately 5‰ in δ13C values in a downstream direction, irrespective of surrounding land use. As a result, the dual-isotope comparison was successful at demonstrating site-specific isotopic signatures across sites for 30 km of the river system. The site-specific signatures suggest that slimy sculpin are not moving considerable distances among sites and are incorporating their isotopic signatures over a narrow spatial scale. The results support the use of the slimy sculpin as a sentinel species for investigating site-specific environmental impacts.

The costs of reproduction in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor)

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 2540-2547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathaniel T. Wheelwright ◽  
Joanna Leary ◽  
Caragh Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Tachycineta Bicolor ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Costs Of Reproduction ◽  
Return Rates ◽  
Trade Offs

We investigated the effect of brood size on nestling growth and survival, parental survival, and future fecundity in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) over a 4-year period (1987–1990) in an effort to understand whether reproductive trade-offs limit clutch size in birds. In addition to examining naturally varying brood sizes in a population on Kent Island, New Brunswick, Canada, we experimentally modified brood sizes, increasing or decreasing the reproductive burdens of females by two offspring. Unlike previous studies, broods of the same females were enlarged or reduced in up to 3 successive years in a search for evidence of cumulative costs of reproduction that might go undetected by a single brood manipulation. Neither observation nor experiment supported the existence of a trade-off between offspring quality and quantity, in contrast with the predictions of life-history theory. Nestling wing length, mass, and tarsus length were unrelated to brood size. Although differences between means were in the direction predicted, few differences were statistically significant, despite large sample sizes. Nestlings from small broods were no more likely to return as breeding adults than nestlings from large broods, but return rates of both groups were very low. Parental return rates were also independent of brood size, and there was no evidence of a negative effect of brood size on future fecundity (laying date, clutch size). Reproductive success, nestling size, and survival did not differ between treatments for females whose broods were manipulated in successive years. Within the range of brood sizes observed in this study, the life-history costs of feeding one or two additional nestlings in tree swallows appear to be slight and cannot explain observed clutch sizes. Costs not measured in this study, such as the production of eggs or postfledging parental care, may be more important in limiting clutch size in birds.

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