Meeting Abstract

128.4  Monday, Jan. 7  The effects of trace element exposure on tree swallow reproductive success and stress response following remediation of a coal-fly ash spill BECK, M. L.*; HOPKINS, W. A.; HAWLEY, D. M.; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech; Virginia Tech beckmic@vt.edu

Coal combustion waste contains elevated concentrations of numerous trace elements that pose health risks to humans and wildlife. Exposure to elevated concentrations of these elements can cause teratogenic effects, reproductive failure, altered hormonal responses, and aberrant reproductive behavior in wildlife. We examined the reproductive success of adult tree swallows and the morphology and stress response of their nestlings following remediation of a large coal-fly ash spill in TN, USA. Most eggs and nestlings in the remediated colonies had element concentrations below levels that cause adverse physiological and developmental effects in other species. Exposure to these low concentrations of trace elements did not affect clutch size and fledging success and did not affect nestling body size and body condition prior to fledging. Exposure to a period of unseasonably cold weather negatively affected reproductive success across colonies but these effects were greatest at two remediated and one reference colony that was disturbed by a nearby marina. We found that basal corticosterone concentrations of nestlings did not differ among reference and contaminated colonies but that following handling restraint the induced and fold-increase in corticosterone concentrations was suppressed in nestlings from some contaminated colonies. Taken together, our results suggest that exposure to residual trace elements following remediation efforts may have subtle physiological effects on nestlings but that reproductive success of swallows is not being adversely affected.