Endothermic Animals as Biomonitors of Terrestrial Environments

Abstract

Since the late 1980s, wildlife toxicology has grown considerably as an important field of laboratory and field research. It focuses on the effects of various chemicals on the reproduction, health, and well-being of wildlife, including essential and nonessential elements. Deficiency of essential elements (e.g., copper, manganese, nickel, zinc, selenium) can lead to adverse effects in endothermic vertebrates, while their excess may result in significant intoxication or even death. However, the greatest concern is the contamination with highly toxic nonessential elements such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. Human activity results in the introduction of large amounts of essential and nonessential trace elements into biogeochemical cycles. Particularly exposed to excessive levels of trace elements are top avian and mammalian predators at the end point of biological pathways along which contaminants may accumulate in increasing concentrations. Determinations of trace elements in samples from selected species serving as biomonitors can be used to indirectly assess the condition of terrestrial ecosystems, including herbivorous, omnivorous, and predatory wildlife. Biomonitors are usually native species common in the area (involving hunted animals) but also invasive species (in Europe American mink and raccoon from North America; in the USA and Canada wild boar and common starling from Europe). Biomonitoring using terrestrial birds and mammals can be local, regional, or continental and is well developed in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere, especially in North America and Europe.