↓ Skip to main content

Regional and interspecific variation in Sr, Ca, and Sr/Ca ratios in avian eggshells from the USA

Overview of attention for article published in Ecotoxicology, June 2011
Altmetric Badge

Mentioned by

twitter
1 X user

Readers on

mendeley
15 Mendeley
You are seeing a free-to-access but limited selection of the activity Altmetric has collected about this research output. Click here to find out more.
Title
Regional and interspecific variation in Sr, Ca, and Sr/Ca ratios in avian eggshells from the USA
Published in
Ecotoxicology, June 2011
DOI 10.1007/s10646-011-0703-4
Pubmed ID
Authors

Miguel A. Mora, Bryan Brattin, Catherine Baxter, James W. Rivers

Abstract

To examine regional variation in strontium (Sr), which at high concentrations may reduce eggshell quality, increase egg breakage and reproductive failure, we analyzed Sr, and calcium (Ca) concentrations and Sr/Ca ratios in eggshells from 20 avian species from California, Texas, Idaho, Kansas, and Michigan. In addition, we included data previously reported from Arizona to expand the regional comparisons and to better establish patterns of Sr, and Sr/Ca ratios in bird species across the United States. We found Sr concentrations varied significantly among regions, among species, and among foraging guilds; this variability is strongly influenced by the Sr/Ca ratios in surface water from locations close to the region where the eggshells were collected. Sr concentrations and Sr/Ca ratios were significantly higher in bird eggshells from the Volta wildlife region in the San Joaquin Valley, California and in various locales from Arizona. Sr concentrations and Sr/Ca ratios in bird eggshells from other locations in the USA were lower than those detected in these two regions. Among foraging guilds, invertivores had the highest Sr concentrations and Sr/Ca ratios and carnivores had the lowest. In general, the Sr/Ca ratio increased strongly with increasing Sr concentrations (R(2) = 0.99, P < 0.0001). There was a significant correlation (R(2) = 0.58, P < 0.0001) between Sr/Ca ratios in water and the average Sr/Ca ratios in eggshells suggesting that these values could be determined from Sr/Ca ratios in water. Eggshell thickness was poorly correlated with Sr (R(2) = 0.03) but had a significant and positive correlation with Ca and was more properly correlated by a quadratic equation (R(2) = 0.50, Thickness = 2.13 - 0.02Ca - 3.07 * 10(-5)Ca(2)). Our study provides further evidence that Sr accumulates significantly in the avian eggshell, in some regions at concentrations which could be of concern for potential negative effects on reproduction. We suggest that when assessing the effects of metals on avian reproduction in regions with high Sr deposits in rock and soil, Sr concentrations in the eggshell also should be measured to evaluate additional effects on thickness and reproduction.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profile of 1 X user who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 15 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 15 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 3 20%
Student > Bachelor 3 20%
Student > Ph. D. Student 3 20%
Other 1 7%
Professor 1 7%
Other 0 0%
Unknown 4 27%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Environmental Science 3 20%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 3 20%
Earth and Planetary Sciences 2 13%
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 1 7%
Chemistry 1 7%
Other 0 0%
Unknown 5 33%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 29 October 2011.
All research outputs
#15,237,301
of 22,655,397 outputs
Outputs from Ecotoxicology
#649
of 1,469 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#83,114
of 112,815 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Ecotoxicology
#13
of 15 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 22,655,397 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 22nd percentile – i.e., 22% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,469 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 3.5. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 51% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 112,815 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 16th percentile – i.e., 16% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 15 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 13th percentile – i.e., 13% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.