SRST MeetingJanuary 30, 2007

- Progress to Date- 2007 Amphibian Surveys

Slide 1 of 13

Influence of feeding ecology on blood mercury concentrations in four

species of turtles

† Wildlife Ecotoxicology & Physiological Ecology Program, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences,

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University‡ Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia

§ Department of Geology, University of Georgia

Christine M. Bergeron†, Jerry F. Husak†, Jason M. Unrine‡,

Christopher S. Romanek‡§, and

William A. Hopkins†

Slide 2 of 13

Snapping turtle(Chelydra serpentina)

Stinkpot(Sternotherus odoratus)

Painted Turtle(Chrysemys picta)

Red Bellied Turtle(Pseudemys rubriventris)

Slide 3 of 13

South River

Middle River

North River

South Fork Shenandoah River

Moss & Locust Street (SR Ref)

Swoope (MR Ref)

Honeysuckle Hill Farm (MR Ref)

2 Basic Park

5 Dooms

10 Crimora

11 Augusta FC & downstream properties

15 Harriston

20 Grand Caverns

22 Grottoes

Methods

Mercury Source

Slide 4 of 13

Baited Hoop Traps

Mass, sex, carapace & plastron dimensions

1 ml blood from tail or cervical sinus

Permanently marked with unique ID

Methods

Slide 5 of 13

0

200

400

600

800

1000

P. rubriventris C. picta S. odoratus C. serpentina

[ TH

g ] n

g g-1

MR RefSR RefSR 2-22

NA

NA

A

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

River Mile

[ TH

g ] n

g g-1

C. serpentinaS. odoratusC. pictaP. rubriventris

MRRef

SRRef

2 5 10 11 15 20 22

B

Bergeron et al., in press

N = 552 Turtles

Slide 6 of 13

The Importance of Amphibians in Ecosystems

Conversion Efficiency

Growth

Biomass

Ecosystem Function

Metabolism “One animal’s growth is another animal’s food”

Hill et al. (2004)

Pough (1980)Herpetofauna have a different role than birds and mammals

Endotherms are important in relation to the energy they consume (net PP)

Herps are important in terms of biomass they produce and make available to other trophic levels

Slide 7 of 13

Hg concentrations in amphibianswarrant further studies on reproductive success

Salamander whole body concentrationsup to 9.3 ppm dry mass

Frog and salamander egg concentrationsup to 1.7 ppm dry mass

Slide 8 of 13

Target Study SpeciesSpotted salamander,

Ambystoma maculatum

Green frog, Rana clamitans

Wood frog, Rana sylvatica

Red Back Salamander, Plethodon cinereus

Two-lined salamander, Eurycea bislineata

Slide 9 of 13

Hypotheses

1) Amphibians accumulate high concentrations of Hg in their tissues, making them important to the fate and transport of Hg within the South River foodweb.

2) Accumulation of Hg in amphibians follows the same spatial pattern as observed in other biota along the South River.

3) Tail tissue is a useful nondestructive index of Hg exposure for amphibians that exhibit tail autonomy.

Slide 10 of 13

Staunton

South River

North River

Middle River

South Fork Shenandoah River

Port Republic

2

5

10

15

Waynesboro

Mercury Source

Reference Sites

South River Sampling Regions

Impacted Sites

Will document distributionof species

Hg concentration in species/lifestages

Strategically archive specimensFor Mike Newman

Slide 11 of 13

Analytical methods

Total Hg: Direct Hg Analyzer

Advanced Analytical Centerfor Environmental Sciences

Methyl Hg/Total Hg:gas chromatographic cold-vapor atomicfluorescence spectrometry (GC-CVAFS)& ICPMS

Selenium: ICPMS

Slide 12 of 13

Timeline

January: Preliminary Assessment(wetlands full but no breeding activity yet)

February - May: Intensive surveys

June-July: Hg Analysis in South Carolina

Fall 07: Data Analysis & writing

October 07: Present Findings at SRST

December 07: Final report to DuPont

Slide 13 of 13