Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Determining optimal sampling strategies for monitoring mercury and reproductive success in common loons in the Adirondacks of New York

  • Published:
Ecotoxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The common loon (Gavia immer), a top predator in the freshwater food web, has been recognized as an important bioindicator of aquatic mercury (Hg) pollution. Because capturing loons can be difficult, statistical approaches are needed to evaluate the efficiency of Hg monitoring. Using data from 1998 to 2016 collected in New York’s Adirondack Park, we calculated the power to detect temporal changes in loon Hg concentrations and fledging success as a function of sampling intensity. There is a tradeoff between the number of lakes per year and the number of years needed to detect a particular rate of change. For example, a 5% year−1 change in Hg concentration could be detected with a sampling effort of either 15 lakes per year for 10 years, or 5 lakes per year for 15 years, given two loons sampled per lake per year. A 2% year−1 change in fledging success could be detected with a sampling effort of either 40 lakes per year for 15 years, or 30 lakes per year for 20 years. We found that more acidic lakes required greater sampling intensity than less acidic lakes for monitoring Hg concentrations but not for fledging success. Power analysis provides a means to optimize the sampling designs for monitoring loon Hg concentrations and reproductive success. This approach is applicable to other monitoring schemes where cost is an issue.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alvo R (2009) Common Loon, Gavia immer, breeding success in relation to lake pH and lake size over 25 years. Can Field Naturalist 123:146–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barkay T, Gillman M, Turner RR (1997) Effects of dissolved organic carbon and salinity on bioavailability of mercury. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:4267–4271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barr JF (1986) Population dynamics of the Common Loon (Gavia immer) associated with mercury-contaminated waters in northwestern Ontario. Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service 56:25

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgess NM, Meyer MW (2008) Methylmercury exposure associated with reduced productivity in common loons. Ecotoxicology 17:83–91

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buxton VL, Evers DC, Schoch N (2019) The influence of biotic and abiotic factors on banded common loon (Gavia immer) reproductive success in a remote, mountainous region of the northeastern United States. Ecotoxicology

  • Champoux L, Masse DC, Evers D, Lane OP, Plante M, Timmermans ST (2006) Assessment of mercury exposure and potential effects on common loons (Gavia immer) in Québec. In: Limnology and aquatic birds . Springer, Dordrecht, pp 263–274

  • Chan HM, Scheuhammer AM, Ferran A, Loupelle C, Holloway J, Weech S (2003) Impacts of mercury on freshwater fish-eating wildlife and humans. Hum Ecol Risk Assess 9:867–883

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen CY, Serrell N, Evers DC, Fleishman BJ, Lambert KF, Weiss J, Mason RP, Bank MS (2008) Meeting report: methylmercury in marine ecosystems—from sources to seafood consumers. Environ Health Perspect 116:1706–1712

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evers DC (2001) Common loon population studies: continental mercury patterns and breeding territory philopatry. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Evers DC (2004). Status assessment and conservation plan for the Common Loon (Gavia Nimmer) in North America. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Hadley, MA

  • Evers DC, Kaplan JD, Meyer MW, Reaman PS, Braselton WE, Major A, Burgess N, Scheuhammer AM (1998) Geographic trend in mercury measured in common loon feathers and blood. Environ Toxicol Chem 17:173–183

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evers DC, Savoy LJ, DeSorbo CR, Yates DE, Hanson W, Taylor KM, Siegel LS, Cooley JH, Bank MS, Major A, Munney K (2008) Adverse effects from environmental mercury loads on breeding common loons. Ecotoxicology 17:69–81

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evers DC, Williams KA, Meyer MW, Scheuhammer AM, Schoch N, Gilbert AT, Siegel L, Taylor RJ, Poppenga R, Perkins CR (2011) Spatial gradients of methylmercury for breeding common loons in the Laurentian Great Lakes region. Ecotoxicology 20:1609–1625

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fevold BM, Meyer MW, Rasmussen PW, Temple SA (2003) Bioaccumulation patterns and temporal trends of mercury exposure in Wisconsin Common Loons. Ecotoxicology 12:83–93

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Field M, Gehring TM (2015) Physical, human disturbance, and regional social factors influencing Common Loon occupancy and reproductive success. Condor 117(4):589–597

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerrodette T (1987) A power analysis for detecting trends. Ecology 68:1364–1372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Götmark F (1992) The effects of investigator disturbance on nesting birds. In Current ornithology. Springer, Boston, MA, pp 63–104.

  • Hake M, Dahlgren T, Ahlund M, Lindberg P, Eriksson MO (2005) The impact of water level fluctuation on the breeding success of the Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica in South-west Sweden. Ornis Fennica 82:1–2

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly CA, Rudd JW, Holoka MH (2003) Effect of pH on mercury uptake by an aquatic bacterium: implications for Hg cycling. Environ Sci Technol 37:2941–2946

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Levine CR, Yanai RD, Lampman GG, Burns DA, Driscoll CT, Lawrence GB, Lynch JA, Schoch N (2014) Evaluating the efficiency of environmental monitoring programs. Ecol Indic 39:94–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovett GM, Burns DA, Driscoll CT, Jenkins JC, Mitchell MJ, Rustad L, Shanley JB, Likens GE, Haeuber R (2007) Who needs environmental monitoring? Front Ecol Environ 5:253–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer MW, Evers DC, Hartigan JJ, Rasmussen PS (1998) Patterns of common loon (Gavia immer) mercury exposure, reproduction, and survival in Wisconsin, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem 17:184–190

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer MW, Rasmussen PW, Watras CJ, Fevold BM, Kenow KP (2011) Bi-phasic trends in mercury concentrations in blood of Wisconsin common loons during 1992–2010. Ecotoxicology 20:1659–1668

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller EK, Vanarsdale A, Keeler GJ, Chalmers A, Poissant L, Kamman NC, Brulotte R (2005) Estimation and mapping of wet and dry mercury deposition across northeastern North America. Ecotoxicology 14:53–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miskimmin BM, Rudd JWM, Kelly CA (1992) Influence of dissolved organic carbon, and microbial respiration rates on mercury methylation and demethylation in lake water. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 49:17–22

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mitro MG, Evers DC, Meyer MW, Piper WH (2008) Common loon survival rates and mercury in New England and Wisconsin. J Wildl Manag 72:665–673

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson GA (2015). Fishmethods: fishery science methods and models in R. R package version 1.7–0. http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/fishmethods/index.html

  • Ream CH (1976) Loon productivity, human disturbance, and pesticide residues in northern Minnesota. Wilson Bull 88(3):427–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoch N, Glennon M, Evers D, Duron M, Jackson A, Driscoll C, Yu X, Simonin H (2011) Long-term monitoring and assessment of mercury based on integrated sampling efforts using the common loon, prey fish, water, and sediment NYSERDA Rep No 12-06:116. https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Publications/Research-and-Development-Technical-Reports/Environmental-Research-and-Development-Technical-Reports#eco. Accessed 25 Jan 2017

  • Schoch N, Glennon MJ, Evers DC, Duron M, Jackson AK, Driscoll CT, Ozard JW, Sauer AK (2014) The impact of mercury exposure on the Common Loon (Gavia immer) population in the Adirondack Park. Waterbirds, New York, USA, pp 133–146. 37

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoch N, Yang Y, Yanai RD, Buxton VL, Evers DE, Driscoll CT (2019) Spatial patterns and temporal trends in mercury concentrations in common loons (Gavia immer) from 1998 to 2016 in New York’s Adirondack Park: has this top predator benefitted from mercury emission controls? Ecotoxicology

  • Simonin HA, Loukmas JJ, Skinner LC, Roy KM (2008) Lake variability: key factors controlling mercury concentrations in New York State fish. Environ Pollut 154:107–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uher-Koch BD, Schmutz JA, Wright KG (2015) Nest visits and capture events affect breeding success of Yellow-billed and Pacific loons. Condor 117:121–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2007) Mercury in solids and solutions by thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA-7473. 17pp

  • Weeber RC (1999) Temporal patterns in breeding success of Common Loons in Ontario, 1981–1997. Final report. Bird Studies Canada to Environment Canada, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

    Google Scholar 

  • Windels SK, Beever EA, Paruk JD, Brinkman AR, Fox JE, Macnulty CC, Evers DC, Siegel LS, Osborne DC (2013) Effects of water‐level management on nesting success of common loons. J Wildl Manag 77:1626–1638

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe MF, Atkeson T, Bowerman W, Burger J, Evers DC, Murray MW, Zillioux E (2007) Wildlife indicators. In: Harris R, Krabbenhoft DP, Mason R, Murray MW, Reash R, Saltman T (eds) Ecosystem responses to mercury contamination: Indicators of change. Webster, NY: CRC Press, pp 134–200

  • Yu X, Driscoll CT, Montesdeoca M, Evers D, Duron M, Williams K, Schoch N, Kamman NC (2011) Spatial patterns of mercury in biota of Adirondack, New York lakes. Ecotoxicology 20(7):1543–1554

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu X, Driscoll CT, Huang J, Holsen TM, Blackwell BD (2013) Modeling and mapping of atmospheric mercury deposition in Adirondack Park, New York. PLoS ONE 8(3):e59322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We greatly appreciate the many hours the Adirondack field crew has devoted each summer to document the return rate and reproductive success of the color-banded study loons. The Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith’s College and the Adirondack Ecological Center of SUNY ESF generously provided students annually to assist with monitoring the banded loons on some of our study lakes. The staff of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Zoological Health Program, and Calvin College have provided in-kind staff support and equipment for the loon capture and sampling fieldwork each year.

Funding

Financial support was provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the Wildlife Conservation Society, The Wild Center, the Raquette River Advisory Council, and numerous private foundations and donors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yang Yang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All applicable national, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution at which the studies were conducted.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yang, Y., Yanai, R.D., Schoch, N. et al. Determining optimal sampling strategies for monitoring mercury and reproductive success in common loons in the Adirondacks of New York. Ecotoxicology 29, 1786–1793 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-019-02122-1

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-019-02122-1

Keywords

Navigation