• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • New theses and dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • New theses and dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Scholarworks@UACommunitiesPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeThis CollectionPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsType

    My Account

    Login

    First Time Submitters, Register Here

    Register

    Statistics

    Display statistics

    Sources and effects of strontium in waterfowl eggs

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    Latty_C_2021.pdf
    Size:
    7.397Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    Download
    Author
    Latty, Christopher J.
    Chair
    Hollmén, Tuula E.
    Committee
    Matz, Angela C.
    Powell, Abby N.
    Hobson, Keith A.
    Adkison, Milo D.
    Keyword
    Birds
    Bird eggs
    Eggshells
    Waterfowl
    Strontium
    Isotopes
    Physiology
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/12558
    Abstract
    Strontium (Sr) may be a contaminant of concern for wild birds. Because of chemical similarities to calcium (Ca), Sr is readily incorporated into calcified tissues, such as eggshells. My objectives were to determine the potential drivers of both total and radio-Sr in the eggshells of waterfowl, and to assess the relationship between eggshell Sr and thickness. I collected eggs from sympatrically nesting waterfowl species in interior Alaska from 2011-2013. I measured total and radio-Sr in eggshells, environmental chemistry, and eggshell thickness. Local water chemistry explained much of the variation in eggshell Sr for canvasback (Aythya valisineria) and northern shoveler (Spatula clypeata), but not lesser scaup (Aythya affinis). Most of the remaining variation was associated with heterogeneity among eggs in the same nest (intra-clutch variance). General trends in eggshell Sr/Ca among species aligned with what would be expected had diet and/or endogenous reserve use affected eggshell chemistry. Results were similar for radio-Sr, with local water chemistry accounting for far less ⁹⁰Sr in the eggshells of lesser scaup, compared to the other species studied. At the site where water chemistry was stable, canvasback and northern shoveler eggshell thickness was not related to eggshell Sr, but lesser scaup eggshells with more Sr were thicker. At the site where water chemistry was variable, canvasback and northern shoveler eggshells with more Sr were thicker at low to intermediate concentrations, but this effect was moderated when the source of eggshell Sr appeared to be explained by the local environment. In contrast, lesser scaup eggshells with more Sr were consistently thicker, but only at higher concentrations. The different relationships between eggshell Sr and thickness across species, and interactions with apparent Sr sources, suggest the relationship between eggshell thickness and Sr is not a simple dose-dependence. My results show that for some species like lesser scaup, factors associated with the laying hen (e.g., diet or physiology) may have a larger impact on both eggshell total and radio-Sr, as well as how Sr interacts with eggshell quality, than the local environment.
    Description
    Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2021
    Table of Contents
    Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 Strontium -- 1.2 Strontium incorporation into biota -- 1.3 Strontium incorporation into eggs -- 1.4 Effects of strontium -- 1.5 Lesser scaup -- 1.6 Objectives -- 1.7 References. Chapter 2: Environmental sources of strontium in waterfowl eggs from Interior Alaska -- 2.1 Abstract -- 2.2 Introduction -- 2.2.1 Objectives -- 2.3 Materials and methods -- 2.3.1 Study site -- 2.3.2 Sample collections -- 2.3.2.1 Eggs -- 2.3.2.2 Water -- 2.3.3 Chemical analyses -- 2.3.3.1 Eggshells -- 2.3.3.2 Water -- 2.3.4 Data treatment and statistical analysis -- 2.4 Results -- 2.4.1 Eggshell Sr/Ca -- 2.4.2 Eggshell Sr/Ca predictors -- 2.4.2.1 Overall model -- 2.4.2.2 Species-specific models -- 2.5 Discussion -- 2.5.1 Potential influence of diet -- 2.5.2 Other potential factors affecting Sr/Ca variance -- 2.5.2.1. Endogenous reserves -- 2.5.2.2 Discrimination of Sr -- 2.5.2.3 Annual water chemistry -- 2.5.2.4 Nest parasitism and laying hen use of other wetlands -- 2.6 Conclusions -- 2.7 Acknowledgements -- 2.8 Figures -- 2.9 Tables -- 2.10 References. Chapter 3: Radionuclide activities in waterfowl eggs in the Alaska boreal forest and relationship to local environment -- 3.1 Abstract -- 3.2 Introduction -- 3.2.1 Objectives -- 3.3 Materials and methods -- 3.3.1 Study site -- 3.3.2 Sample collections -- 3.3.2.1 Eggs -- 3.3.2.2 Lesser scaup ducklings -- 3.3.2.3 Water -- 3.3.3 Chemical analyses -- 3.3.3.1 Eggshells radiochemistry chemistry -- 3.3.3.2 Eggshells elemental chemistry -- 3.3.3.3 Water chemistry -- 3.3.4 Data treatment and statistical analysis -- 3.4 Results -- 3.5 Discussion -- 3.6 Conclusions -- 3.7 Acknowledgements -- 3.8 Figures -- 3.9 Tables -- 3.10 References. Chapter 4: Environmental and eggshell strontium predict waterfowl eggshell thickness -- 4.1 Abstract -- 4.2 Introduction -- 4.2.1 Objectives -- 4.3 Materials and methods -- 4.3.1 Study site -- 4.3.2 Sample collections and analysis -- 4.3.2.1 Eggs -- 4.3.2.2 Water -- 4.3.3 Chemical analyses -- 4.3.3.1 Eggshells -- 4.3.3.2 Water chemistry -- 4.3.4 Data treatment and statistical analysis -- 4.4 Results -- 4.4.1 Eggshell Sr and water Sr/Ca -- 4.4.2 Eggshell thickness -- 4.5 Discussion -- 4.5.1 Differences between species -- 4.5.2 Potential factors leading to greater eggshell thickness and Sr -- 4.5.3 Potential factors leading to lower-quality eggshells from elevated Sr -- 4.6 Conclusions -- 4.7 Acknowledgements -- 4.8 Figures -- 4.9 Tables -- 4.10 References. Chapter 5: Conclusions -- 5.1 References.
    Date
    2021-05
    Type
    Thesis
    Collections
    New theses and dissertations

    entitlement

     
    ABOUT US|HELP|BROWSE|ADVANCED SEARCH

    The University of Alaska Fairbanks is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution and is a part of the University of Alaska system.

    ©UAF 2013 - 2022 | Questions? ua-scholarworks@alaska.edu | Last modified: September 25, 2019

    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.