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Ecologically-relevant exposure to methylmercury during early development does not affect adult phenotype in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)

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Abstract

Methylmercury causes behavioural and reproductive effects in adult mammals via early developmental exposure. Similar studies in birds are limited and mostly focussed on aquatic systems, but recent work has reported high blood mercury concentrations in terrestrial, passerine songbirds. We used the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) as a model to explore the long-term effects of early developmental exposure to methylmercury exposure. Chicks were dosed orally with either the vehicle control, 0.0315 µg Hg/g bw/day, or 0.075 µg Hg/g bw/day throughout the nestling period (days 1–21 post-hatching). We then measured (a) short-term effects on growth, development, and behaviour (time to self-feeding, neophobia) until 30 days of age (independence), and (b) long-term effects on courtship behaviour and song (males) and reproduction (females) once methylmercury-exposed birds reached sexual maturity (90 days post-hatching). High methylmercury treated birds had mean blood mercury of 0.734 ± 0.163 µg/g at 30 days post-hatching, within the range of values reported for field-sampled songbirds at mercury contaminated sites. However, there were no short-term effects of treatment on growth, development, and behaviour of chicks, and no long-term effects on courtship behaviour and song in males or reproductive performance in females. These results suggest that the nestling period is not a critical window for sensitivity to mercury exposure in zebra finches. Growing nestlings can reduce blood mercury levels through somatic growth and depuration into newly growing feathers, and as a result they might actually be less susceptible compared to adult birds receiving the same level of exposure.

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Funding

Funding was provided by the Canadian Atmospheric Regulatory Agenda program of Environment Canada and National Science and Engineering Research Council Discovery grants RGPIN-155395-2012 (TDW) and RGPIN-2016-04583 (JE).

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Author notes

  1. Margaret L. Eng

    Present address: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Spencer A. M. Morran, John E. Elliott, Jessica M. L. Young, Margaret L. Eng & Tony D. Williams

  2. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Science & Technology Branch, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Delta, BC, Canada

    John E. Elliott

  3. Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, Canada

    Niladri Basu

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  1. Spencer A. M. Morran
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  2. John E. Elliott
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Correspondence to Tony D. Williams.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Specifically, work was conducted under a Simon Fraser University Animal Committee Permit (1070B-08) according to the guidelines of the Canadian Committee on Animal Care. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Morran, S.A.M., Elliott, J.E., Young, J.M.L. et al. Ecologically-relevant exposure to methylmercury during early development does not affect adult phenotype in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Ecotoxicology 27, 259–266 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-017-1890-4

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