Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1982;11(1):99-102.
doi: 10.1007/BF01055193.

Bioaccumulation of lead and cadmium in the Royal Tern and Sandwich Tern

J L Maedgen, C S Hacker, G D Schroder, F W Weir

Bioaccumulation of lead and cadmium in the Royal Tern and Sandwich Tern

J L Maedgen et al. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1982.

Abstract

Lead and cadmium concentrations were measured in eggs and tissues of downy young, prefledgling, and adult Royal and Sandwich Terns collected from Galveston Bay, Texas. These species do not differ significantly in the amount of heavy metals they accumulate; however, they differed from other species of the same trophic level from Galveston Bay in degree and pattern of temporal accumulations of these metals. Lead levels were lower in terns, but cadmium levels in adult terns were higher than those of other species. The prefledglings of other species at this trophic level have lead and cadmium concentrations which are similar to those found in adults. In contrast, the concentrations of the metals in adult terns are markedly higher than those found in prefledgling terns. This suggests that accumulation of metals continues as the birds age.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1980;9(1):65-78 - PubMed
    1. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 1981 Jun;5(2):211-24 - PubMed
    1. J Wildl Dis. 1976 Apr;12(2):139-42 - PubMed