caa a22 4500 467901996 CHVBK 20180406152821.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e20061201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10661-006-9197-6 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10661-006-9197-6 The American Dipper as a Bioindicator of Selenium Contamination in a Coal Mine-Affected Stream in West-Central Alberta, Canada [Elektronische Daten] [Mark Wayland, Jeff Kneteman, Robert Crosley] Elevated levels of selenium have been found in water and aquatic biota downstream from two open-pit coal mines in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta. Birds are particularly sensitive to excessive dietary selenium. However, there is relatively little information on selenium accumulation in birds' eggs on fast-flowing mountain streams. We determined levels of selenium in water samples, caddisfly larvae and eggs of American dippers (Cinclus mexicanus) nesting on the Gregg River, downstream from the mines, and on reference streams in the same general vicinity. Selenium levels (mean, 95% confidence limits) in water samples and caddisflies collected from sites near dipper nests on the Gregg River (water: 4.26, 1.90-9.56 μg L−1; caddisflies: 8.43, 7.51-9.46 μg g dry wt−1) were greater than those collected from sites near nests on reference rivers (water: 0.38, 0.21-0.71 μg L−1; caddisflies: 4.65, 4.35-4.97 μg g dry wt−1). The mean (± 1SE) selenium level in dipper eggs from the Gregg River (6.3 ± 0.2 μg g−1 dry wt) was significantly higher than it was in eggs from reference streams (4.9 ± 0.2 μg g−1 dry wt). Concentrations of selenium in eggs were significantly correlated with those in water samples (r = 0.45). The maximum selenium level in eggs from the Gregg River (9.0 μg g−1) may have been high enough to warrant concern from an ecotoxicological perspective. The American dipper can serve as a useful bioindicator of selenium contamination in mountainous, lotic ecosystems. Springer Science+Business Media, Inc., 2006 selenium nationallicence coal mining nationallicence Alberta nationallicence birds nationallicence American dippers nationallicence Wayland Mark Environment Canada, Prairie & Northern Region, 115 Perimeter Rd., S7N 0X4, Saskatoon, SK, Canada aut Kneteman Jeff Fish and Wildlife Division, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Alberta, Canada aut Crosley Robert Environment Canada, Prairie & Northern Region, 115 Perimeter Rd., S7N 0X4, Saskatoon, SK, Canada aut Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Kluwer Academic Publishers 123/1-3(2006-12-01), 285-298 0167-6369 123:1-3<285 2006 123 10661 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-9197-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-006-9197-6 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Wayland Mark Environment Canada, Prairie & Northern Region, 115 Perimeter Rd., S7N 0X4, Saskatoon, SK, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Kneteman Jeff Fish and Wildlife Division, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Alberta, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Crosley Robert Environment Canada, Prairie & Northern Region, 115 Perimeter Rd., S7N 0X4, Saskatoon, SK, Canada aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Kluwer Academic Publishers 123/1-3(2006-12-01), 285-298 0167-6369 123:1-3<285 2006 123 10661 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer