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Evaluation of homing pigeon feather tissue as a biomonitor of environmental metal concentrations in China

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Abstract

Biomonitoring provides direct evidence of the bioavailability and accumulation of toxic elements in the environment, and homing pigeons have been proposed as a biomonitor of atmospheric pollution. We evaluated metal concentrations in homing pigeon feather tissue as a biomonitoring tool. We measured cadmium, lead, and mercury concentrations in feathers collected from 5–6-yo homing pigeons from Guangzhou, Beijing, and Harbin, China during 2011, and feathers of 1, 5, and 10-yo homing pigeons collected from Guangzhou, Beijing, and Harbin, China during 2015–16. We compared metal concentrations in feathers between sexes and among ages and evaluated spatio-temporal differences. Correlations between feather metal concentrations and previously evaluated kidney and liver metal concentrations are reported. There were no significant differences in feather metal concentrations between male and female pigeons or among 1, 5, and 10-yo pigeons. Cadmium, lead, and mercury concentrations in feathers of 1-yo pigeons were significantly correlated with concentrations in liver and kidney tissues, although the correlations were not consistent. Spatio-temporal differences in feather metal concentrations suggest the usefulness of feathers in identifying areas of concern and remedial effectiveness. Homing pigeon feather metal concentrations appear to be useful as a screening biomonitoring tool.

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Data availability

All data included in this study are available upon request by contact with the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC0500404-6), Youth Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41701574), the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, China (No. TD2019D002), the Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Harbin Normal University (No. XKB201404), and the University Nursing Program for Young Scholars with Creative Talents in Heilongjiang Province (UNPYSCT-2017187). We would like to thank the pigeon hobbyist for this assistance and for providing the pigeons used in our research.

Author contributions

SYZ, RSH, and JC developed research concepts and methods; JC conducted data analyses and wrote original draft; RSH supervised research and edited paper; JC and SH conducted chemical analyses; JC, RSH and MAM conducted necropsies and sample collections.

Funding

This research was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC0500404-6), Youth Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41701574), the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, China (No. TD2019D002), the Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Harbin Normal University (No. XKB201404), and the University Nursing Program for Young Scholars with Creative Talents in Heilongjiang Province (UNPYSCT-2017187).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Geographical Environment Monitoring and Spatial Information Service in Cold Regions, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, 150025, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Jia Cui & Shuying Zang

  2. School of Management, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, 150025, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Jia Cui

  3. Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and Department of Zoology (Emeritus), Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA

    Richard S. Halbrook

  4. Heilongjiang Province Cold Region Ecological Safety Collaborative and Innovation Center, Harbin, 150025, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China

    Shuying Zang

  5. TG&G Wildlife Consulting, Carbondale, IL, 62902, USA

    Mary Ann Masdo

  6. Institute for Environmental and Climate Research, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, People’s Republic of China

    Shuang Han

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  1. Jia Cui
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  2. Richard S. Halbrook
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Correspondence to Shuying Zang.

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Cui, J., Halbrook, R.S., Zang, S. et al. Evaluation of homing pigeon feather tissue as a biomonitor of environmental metal concentrations in China. Ecotoxicology 30, 1521–1526 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-021-02387-5

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