International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology

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Feathers of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Fledglings as a Bio Monitoring Tool for Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmiumand Lead Pollution in Sri Lanka

Received: Jul. 15, 2019    Accepted: Oct. 22, 2019    Published: Dec. 10, 2019
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Abstract

The objective of this study is to establish a baseline set of data for heavy metal contaminants in diverse ecosystems in Sri Lanka using bird feathers as a bio monitoring tool. During May to July 2014 heavy metal concentration (Hg, As, Cd and Pb) was assessed in bird feathers and regurgitated materials of Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) and water collected within the foraging areas at five heronries from three districts of Sri Lanka. A significant variation of Hg and As (p<0.05) was observed. But such a significant variation was not observed for Cd (p>0.05). Only As concentration of regurgitated materials show significantly variation between sites (p<0.05) whereas no significant variation in Hg and Cd (p>0.05). In all sites, for all four metals there were some significant variations of metal concentrations in water. Pb was only detected in water and no more in feathers and regurgitated materials. The concentration of Hg, As, Cd and Pb were generally within the normal background level and mostly below the threshold level that may affect bird survival and reproduction. According to the results of the present study, feathers of Little Egret fledglings can be used as a bio-monitoring tool to measure the bio accumulation of Hg, As and Cd except Pb with combination of metal concentration of their regurgitated materials and water that was collected from the surroundings of heronries.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14
Published in International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology ( Volume 4, Issue 4, December 2019 )
Page(s) 103-113
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Bioaccumulation, Heavy Metals, Little Egrets, Feathers

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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Ravindra Lakshantha Jayaratne, Inoka Chinthana Perera, Devaka Keerthi Weerakoon, Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama. (2019). Feathers of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Fledglings as a Bio Monitoring Tool for Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmiumand Lead Pollution in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology, 4(4), 103-113. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14

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    ACS Style

    Ravindra Lakshantha Jayaratne; Inoka Chinthana Perera; Devaka Keerthi Weerakoon; Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama. Feathers of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Fledglings as a Bio Monitoring Tool for Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmiumand Lead Pollution in Sri Lanka. Int. J. Ecotoxicol. Ecobiol. 2019, 4(4), 103-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14

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    AMA Style

    Ravindra Lakshantha Jayaratne, Inoka Chinthana Perera, Devaka Keerthi Weerakoon, Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama. Feathers of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Fledglings as a Bio Monitoring Tool for Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmiumand Lead Pollution in Sri Lanka. Int J Ecotoxicol Ecobiol. 2019;4(4):103-113. doi: 10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14,
      author = {Ravindra Lakshantha Jayaratne and Inoka Chinthana Perera and Devaka Keerthi Weerakoon and Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama},
      title = {Feathers of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Fledglings as a Bio Monitoring Tool for Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmiumand Lead Pollution in Sri Lanka},
      journal = {International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology},
      volume = {4},
      number = {4},
      pages = {103-113},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijee.20190404.14},
      abstract = {The objective of this study is to establish a baseline set of data for heavy metal contaminants in diverse ecosystems in Sri Lanka using bird feathers as a bio monitoring tool. During May to July 2014 heavy metal concentration (Hg, As, Cd and Pb) was assessed in bird feathers and regurgitated materials of Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) and water collected within the foraging areas at five heronries from three districts of Sri Lanka. A significant variation of Hg and As (pp>0.05). Only As concentration of regurgitated materials show significantly variation between sites (pp>0.05). In all sites, for all four metals there were some significant variations of metal concentrations in water. Pb was only detected in water and no more in feathers and regurgitated materials. The concentration of Hg, As, Cd and Pb were generally within the normal background level and mostly below the threshold level that may affect bird survival and reproduction. According to the results of the present study, feathers of Little Egret fledglings can be used as a bio-monitoring tool to measure the bio accumulation of Hg, As and Cd except Pb with combination of metal concentration of their regurgitated materials and water that was collected from the surroundings of heronries.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Feathers of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Fledglings as a Bio Monitoring Tool for Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmiumand Lead Pollution in Sri Lanka
    AU  - Ravindra Lakshantha Jayaratne
    AU  - Inoka Chinthana Perera
    AU  - Devaka Keerthi Weerakoon
    AU  - Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama
    Y1  - 2019/12/10
    PY  - 2019
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14
    T2  - International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology
    JF  - International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology
    JO  - International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology
    SP  - 103
    EP  - 113
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1735
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijee.20190404.14
    AB  - The objective of this study is to establish a baseline set of data for heavy metal contaminants in diverse ecosystems in Sri Lanka using bird feathers as a bio monitoring tool. During May to July 2014 heavy metal concentration (Hg, As, Cd and Pb) was assessed in bird feathers and regurgitated materials of Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta) and water collected within the foraging areas at five heronries from three districts of Sri Lanka. A significant variation of Hg and As (pp>0.05). Only As concentration of regurgitated materials show significantly variation between sites (pp>0.05). In all sites, for all four metals there were some significant variations of metal concentrations in water. Pb was only detected in water and no more in feathers and regurgitated materials. The concentration of Hg, As, Cd and Pb were generally within the normal background level and mostly below the threshold level that may affect bird survival and reproduction. According to the results of the present study, feathers of Little Egret fledglings can be used as a bio-monitoring tool to measure the bio accumulation of Hg, As and Cd except Pb with combination of metal concentration of their regurgitated materials and water that was collected from the surroundings of heronries.
    VL  - 4
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  • Section