Geology topics

Vince P. Palace

Publications and source records attributed to Vince P. Palace.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2021

Thyroid disruption and oxidative stress in American kestrels following embryonic exposure to the alternative flame retardants, EHTBB and TBPH

Brominated flame retardant chemicals, such as 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (EHTBB) (CAS #: 183658–27-7) and bis(2-ethylhexyl)-2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) (CAS #: 26040–51-7), have been detected in avian tissues and eggs from remote regions. Exposure to EHTBB and TBPH has been shown to cause oxidative stress and altered thyroid function in rodents and fish, yet no controlled studies have examined potential adverse effects of exposure in birds. Because flame retardants have been detected in wild raptors, we used American kestrels ( Falco sparverius ) as a model raptor to determine whether in ovo exposure to EHTBB or TBPH affected growth, hatching success, oxidative stress, or thyroid function. We exposed kestrel embryos to nominal concentrations (10, 50, or 100 ng g −1 egg weight) of EHTBB and TBPH via egg-injection on embryonic day 5. Embryonic exposure (~23 d) to EHTBB increased thyroid gland mass, reduced glandular colloid and total thyroxine (T4) in hatchling males and females, whereas deiodinase enzyme activity increased in males but decreased in females. Hatchlings exposed to TBPH in ovo exhibited reduced colloid and increased oxidative stress. Although exposure to EHTBB and TBPH caused several physiological effects (e.g., heart and brain mass), only exposure to 50 ng g −1 EHTBB appeared to reduce hatching success. Our results suggest these flame retardants may be hazardous for predatory birds. Future research should evaluate long-term survival and fitness consequences in birds exposed to these chemicals.

Environment International↗

USGS2019

In ovo exposure to brominated flame retardants Part II: Assessment of effects of TBBPA-BDBPE and BTBPE on hatching success, morphometric and physiological endpoints in American kestrels

Tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPA-BDBPE) and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTPBE) are both brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that have been detected in birds; however, their potential biological effects are largely unknown. We assessed the effects of embryonic exposure to TBBPA-BDBPE and BTBPE in a model avian predator, the American kestrel ( Falco sparverius ). Fertile eggs from a captive population of kestrels were injected on embryonic day 5 (ED5) with a vehicle control or one of three doses within the range of concentrations that have been detected in biota (nominal concentrations of 0, 10, 50 or 100 ng/g egg; measured concentrations 0, 3.0, 13.7 or 33.5 ng TBBPA-BDBPE/g egg and 0, 5.3, 26.8 or 58.1 ng BTBPE/g egg). Eggs were artificially incubated until hatching (ED28), at which point blood and tissues were collected to measure morphological and physiological endpoints, including organ somatic indices, circulating and glandular thyroid hormone concentrations, thyroid gland histology, hepatic deiodinase activity, and markers of oxidative stress. Neither compound had any effects on embryo survival through 90% of the incubation period or on hatching success, body mass, organ size, or oxidative stress of hatchlings. There was evidence of sex-specific effects in the thyroid system responses to the BTBPE exposures, with type 2 deiodinase (D2) activity decreasing at higher doses in female, but not in male hatchlings, suggesting that females may be more sensitive to BTBPE. However, there were no effects of TBBPA-BDBPE on the thyroid system in kestrels. For the BTPBE study, a subset of high-dose eggs was collected throughout the incubation period to measure changes in BTBPE concentrations. There was no decrease in BTBPE over the incubation period, suggesting that BTBPE is slowly metabolized by kestrel embryos throughout their ∼28-d development. These two compounds, therefore, do not appear to be particularly toxic to embryos of the American kestrel.

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety↗

USGS2018

Sex‐specific responses in neuroanatomy of hatchling American kestrels in response to embryonic exposure to the flame retardants bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate

Bis(2‐ethylhexyl)‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromophthalate (BEH‐TEBP) and 2‐ethylhexyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrabromobenzoate (EH‐TBB), flame retardant components of FireMaster 550® and 600® have been detected in tissues of wild birds. To address the paucity of information regarding potential impacts of flame retardants on the brain, brain volume regions of hatchling American kestrels ( Falco sparverius ) were evaluated following in ovo injection at embryonic day 5 with safflower oil or to 1 of 3 doses of either BEH‐TEBP (13, 64, or 116 μg/g egg) or EH‐TBB (12, 60, or 149 μg/g egg). The doses for both chemicals reflected concentrations reported in wild birds. The volumes of the hippocampus and telencephalon and volumetric differences between left and right hemispheres were measured in hatchlings (embryonic day 28). A sex‐specific effect of BEH‐TEBP on relative hippocampus volume was evident: the hippocampus was significantly enlarged in high‐dose females compared to control females but smaller in low‐dose females than the other females. There was no significant effect of EH‐TBB on hippocampus volume in female kestrel hatchlings or of either chemical in male hatchlings and no effects of these concentrations of EH‐TBB or BEH‐TEBP on telencephalon volume or the level of symmetry between the hemispheres of the brain. In sum, embryonic exposure of female kestrels to these BEH‐TEBP concentrations altered hippocampus volume, having the potential to affect spatial memory relating to ecologically relevant behavior such as prey capture, predator avoidance, and migration.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

USGS2018

Female hatchling American kestrels have a larger hippocampus than males: A link with sexual size dimorphism?

The brain and underlying cognition may vary adaptively according to an organism’s ecology. As with all raptor species, adult American kestrels ( Falco sparverius ) are sexually dimorphic with females being larger than males. Related to this sexual dimorphism, kestrels display sex differences in hunting and migration, with females ranging more widely than males, suggesting possible sex differences in spatial cognition. However, hippocampus volume, the brain region responsible for spatial cognition, has not been investigated in raptors. Here, we measured hippocampus and telencephalon volumes in American kestrel hatchlings. Female hatchlings had a significantly larger hippocampus relative to the telencephalon and brain weight than males (∼12% larger), although telencephalon volume relative to brain weight and body size was similar between the sexes. The magnitude of this hippocampal sex difference is similar to that reported between male and female polygynous Microtus voles and migratory and non-migratory subspecies of Zonotrichia sparrows. Future research should determine if this sex difference in relative hippocampus volume of hatchling kestrels persists into adulthood and if similar patterns exist in other raptor species, thus potentially linking sex differences in the brain to sex differences of space use of adults in the wild.

Behavioural Brain Research↗

USGS2015

Changes in thyroid parameters of hatchling American kestrels ( Falco sparverius ) following embryonic exposure to technical short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs; C 10-13 , 55.5% CL)

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are complex mixtures of polychlorinated n-alkanes categorized according to their carbon chain length: short chain (SCCPs, C10 – C13), medium (C14 - C17), and long chain (C>17), chlorinated paraffins. SCCPs are primarily used in metalworking applications, as flame retardants, and in paints, adhesives, sealants, textiles, plastics and rubber (UNEP 2012). In 2012, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP 2012) reported in the Revised Draft Risk Profile for SCCPs, that CPs were produced in the United States, the European Union (EU), Slovakia, Brazil, India, Japan and China. While annual global consumption of SCCPs is large (>25 tonnes/year), it has sharply declined over the past 20 years. SCCPs are released through wastewater, landfills, and air emissions (UNEP 2012). Concentrations of SCCPs have been reported in fish and marine mammals in North and South America, Europe, Japan, Greenland and the Arctic (UNEP 2012 and references therein). Characterization of SCCP concentrations and exposure in terrestrial wildlife is limited. In 2010, SCCP concentrations were reported in the eggs of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) (4536 ± 40 pg/g wet weight (ww)) and Audouin’s gulls (Larus audouinii) (6364 ± 20 pg/g ww) in Spain (Morales et al. 2012), and little auks (Alle alle) (5 - 88 ng/g ww) and kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) (5 - 44 ng/g ww) in the European Arctic (Reth et al. 2006). In Sweden, muscle of ospreys contained CPs of unspecified chain length (Jansson et al. 1993). Although the toxicity of SCCPs has been demonstrated in aquatic invertebrates, fish, frogs, and laboratory rats, there are limited avian studies and these reported no effects of SCCPs on egg parameters of domestic hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) and ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) (UNEP 2012). Despite reported accumulation of SCCPs in wild birds, to our knowledge, exposure-related toxicities and effects with respect to avian wildlife remain unknown.

Organohalogen Compounds↗

USGS2001

Assessment of selenium effects in lotic ecosystems

The selenium literature has grown substantially in recent years to encompass new information in a variety of areas. Correspondingly, several different approaches to establishing a new water quality criterion for selenium have been proposed since establishment of the national water quality criterion in 1987. Diverging viewpoints and interpretations of the selenium literature have lead to opposing perspectives on issues such as establishing a national criterion based on a sediment-based model, using hydrologic units to set criteria for stream reaches, and applying lentic-derived effects to lotic environments. This Commentary presents information on the lotic verse lentic controversy. Recently, an article was published that concluded that no adverse effects were occurring in a cutthroat trout population in a coldwater river with elevated selenium concentrations (C. J. Kennedy, L. E. McDonald, R. Loveridge, and M. M. Strosher, 2000, Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 39, 46–52). This article has added to the controversy rather than provided further insight into selenium toxicology. Information, or rather missing information, in the article has been critically reviewed and problems in the interpretations are discussed.

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety↗