Methylmercury: Reproductive and behavioral effects on three generations of mallard ducks
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Abstract
Three generations of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed either a control diet or a diet containing 0.5 ppm mercury in the form of methylmercury. The levels of mercury in adult tissues and eggs remained about the same over 3 generations. The methylmercury diet had no effect on adult weights or weight changes during the reproductive season. Females fed a diet containing 0.5 ppm mercury laid a greater percentage of their eggs outside their nestboxes than did controls, and also laid fewer eggs and produced fewer ducklings. Methylmercury in the diet appeared to result in a small amount of eggshell thinning. Ducklings from parents fed methylmercury were less responsive than controls to tape-recorded maternal calls, but were hyper-responsive to a frightening stimulus in avoidance tests; there were no significant differences in locomotor activity in an open-field test.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Methylmercury: Reproductive and behavioral effects on three generations of mallard ducks |
| Series title | Journal of Wildlife Management |
| DOI | 10.2307/3800348 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Year Published | 1979 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 394 |
| Last page | 401 |