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Articles by Josh Ackerman
Helping the California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program increase bird use of winter-flooded rice fields
With more than 90% of the historical wetlands in the Central Valley lost due to agricultural development and water diversion, flooding agricultural rice fields after harvest provides an important alternative source of wetland habitats in the fall and winter for waterbirds that migrate through and overwinter in California, especially in the Sacramento Valley.
Bird habitat value and management priorities of the California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program
Links More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI) Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core Study Area Publication type Article Publication Subtype Journal Article Title Bird habitat value and management priorities of the California Winter Rice Habitat Incentive Program Series title San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science DOI 10.15447/sfews.2024v22iss3art3 Volume 22 Issue 3 Year Published 2024 Language English Publisher eScholarship Contributing office(s) Western Ecological Research...
Egg mercury concentration and egg size varies with position in the laying sequence in two songbird species
Links More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI) Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core Publication type Article Publication Subtype Journal Article Title Egg mercury concentration and egg size varies with position in the laying sequence in two songbird species Series title Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry DOI 10.1002/etc.5900 Edition Online First Year Published 2024 Language English Publisher Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Contributing office(s) Western...
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Understanding Mercury’s Effects on Birds
Mercury contamination is a widespread environmental issue, and the accumulation of methylmercury poses significant risks to wildlife, particularly birds. Birds are often used as bioindicators of environmental mercury contamination and during ecological risk assessments. In a recent study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, USGS researchers have derived new toxicity reference values and introduced “The Bird Mercury Tool,” a novel resource to assess the effects of mercury on birds.
Methylmercury effects on birds: A review, meta-analysis, and development of toxicity reference values for injury assessment based on tissue residues and diet
Links More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI) Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core Publication type Article Publication Subtype Journal Article Title Methylmercury effects on birds: A review, meta-analysis, and development of toxicity reference values for injury assessment based on tissue residues and diet Series title Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry DOI 10.1002/etc.5858 Edition Online First Year Published 2024 Language English...
Global mercury concentrations in biota: Their use as a basis for a global biomonitoring framework
Links More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI) Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core Publication type Article Publication Subtype Journal Article Title Global mercury concentrations in biota: Their use as a basis for a global biomonitoring framework Series title Ecotoxicology DOI 10.1007/s10646-024-02747-x Edition Online First Year Published 2024 Language English Publisher Springer Contributing office(s) Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem...
Foraging behavior and age affect maternal transfer of mercury to northern elephant seal pups
Links More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI) Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core Publication type Article Publication Subtype Journal Article Title Foraging behavior and age affect maternal transfer of mercury to northern elephant seal pups Series title Scientific Reports DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-54527-6 Volume 14 Year Published 2024 Language English Publisher Nature Contributing office(s) Western Ecological Research Center Description...
Efficacy of Eggshell Analyses as a Nonlethal Method to Estimate Mercury Exposure in Bird Embryos
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists evaluated a nonlethal method to estimate mercury in the embryos of 23 bird species using mercury content in eggshells. This method was effective for a wide range of ages and species. Avian ecotoxicologists often examine contaminant bioaccumulation in different bird tissues with the intent of relating tissue concentrations to established toxicological benchmarks to understand the risks of potential adverse health effects.
Maternal transfer of mercury to songbird eggs
We evaluated the maternal transfer of mercury to eggs in songbirds, determined whether this relationship differed between songbird species, and developed equations for predicting mercury concentrations in eggs from maternal blood. We sampled blood and feathers from 44 house wren (Troglodytes aedon) and 34 tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) mothers and collected their full clutches (n = 476 eggs) within 3 days of clutch completion.
Season, molt, and body size influence mercury concentrations in grebes
Season, molt, and body size influence mercury concentrations in grebes Environmental Pollution By: Christopher Hartman, Josh Ackerman, Mark Herzog, and Collin A. Eagles-Smith Links Abstract We studied seasonal and physiological influences on mercury concentrations in western grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's grebes (A. occidentalis) across 29 lakes and reservoirs in California, USA.
Mercury exposure may influence fluctuating asymmetry in waterbirds
Mercury exposure may influence fluctuating asymmetry in waterbirds Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry By: Garth Herring, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, and Josh Ackerman Links Abstract Variation in avian bilateral symmetry can be an indicator of development instability in response to a variety of stressors, including environmental contaminants.
Mercury contamination and stable isotopes reveal variability in foraging ecology of generalist California gulls
Environmental contaminants are a concern for animal health, but contaminant exposure can also be used as a tracer of foraging ecology. In particular, mercury (Hg) concentrations are highly variable among aquatic and terrestrial food webs as a result of habitat- and site-specific biogeochemical processes that produce the bioaccumulative form, methylmercury (MeHg).
Mercury risk to avian piscivores across western United States and Canada
The widespread distribution of mercury (Hg) threatens wildlife health, particularly piscivorous birds. Western North America is a diverse region that provides critical habitat to many piscivorous bird species, and also has a well-documented history of mercury contamination from legacy mining and atmospheric deposition. The diversity of landscapes in the west limits the distribution of avian piscivore species, complicating broad comparisons across the region.
Waterbird nest-site selection is influenced by neighboring nests and island topography
Avian nest-site selection is influenced by factors operating across multiple spatial scales. Identifying preferred physical characteristics (e.g., topography, vegetation structure) can inform managers to improve nesting habitat suitability. However, social factors (e.g., attraction, territoriality, competition) can complicate understanding physical characteristics preferred by nesting birds.
Mercury in western North America: A synthesis of environmental contamination, fluxes, bioaccumulation, and risk to fish and wildlife
Western North America is a region defined by extreme gradients in geomorphology and climate, which support a diverse array of ecological communities and natural resources. The region also has extreme gradients in mercury (Hg) contamination due to a broad distribution of inorganic Hg sources. These diverse Hg sources and a varied landscape create a unique and complex mosaic of ecological risk from Hg impairment associated with differential methylmercury (MeHg) production and bioaccumulation.
Spatial and temporal patterns of mercury concentrations in freshwater fish across the Western United States and Canada
Methylmercury contamination of fish is a global threat to environmental health. Mercury (Hg) monitoring programs are valuable for generating data that can be compiled for spatially broad syntheses to identify emergent ecosystem properties that influence fish Hg bioaccumulation. Fish total Hg (THg) concentrations were evaluated across the Western United States (US) and Canada, a region defined by extreme gradients in habitat structure and water management.
Avian mercury exposure and toxicological risk across western North America: A synthesis
Methylmercury contamination of the environment is an important issue globally, and birds are useful bioindicators for mercury monitoring programs. The available data on mercury contamination of birds in western North America were synthesized. Original data from multiple databases were obtained and a literature review was conducted to obtain additional mercury concentrations.
Hg concentrations in fish from coastal waters of California and Western North America
The State of California conducted an extensive and systematic survey of mercury (Hg) in fish from the California coast in 2009 and 2010. The California survey sampled 3483 fish representing 46 species at 68 locations, and demonstrated that methylHg in fish presents a widespread exposure risk to fish consumers. Most of the locations sampled (37 of 68) had a species with an average concentration above 0.3 μg/g wet weight (ww), and 10 locations an average above 1.0 μg/g ww.
Differentiating sex and species of Western Grebes (
In birds where males and females are similar in size and plumage, sex determination by alternative means is necessary. Discriminant function analysis based on external morphometrics was used to distinguish males from females in two closely related species: Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) and Clark's Grebe (A. clarkii). Additionally, discriminant function analysis was used to evaluate morphometric divergence between Western and Clark's grebe adults and eggs.
Mercury correlations among blood, muscle, and hair of northern elephant seals during the breeding and molting fasts
Mercury (Hg) biomonitoring and toxicological risk assessments for marine mammals commonly sample different tissues, making comparisons to toxicity benchmarks and among species and regions difficult. Few studies have examined how life history events, such as fasting, influence the relationship between total Hg (THg) concentrations in different tissues.
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