scholarly journals Contemporary premature feather loss (PFL) among common tern chicks in Lake Ontario: the return of an enigmatic developmental anomaly

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Arnold ◽  
Donald J. Tyerman ◽  
Doug Crump ◽  
Kim L. Williams ◽  
Stephen A. Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Temporal Association ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Developmental Abnormalities ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Shed Feathers

In July 2014, we observed premature feather loss (PFL) among non-sibling, common tern Sterna hirundo chicks between 2 and 4 weeks of age at Gull Island in northern Lake Ontario, Canada. Rarely observed in wild birds, to our knowledge PFL has not been recorded in terns since 1974, despite the banding of tens of thousands of tern chicks across North America since then. The prevalence (5% of chicks) and extent of feather loss was more extreme than in previous reports but was not accompanied by other aberrant developmental or physical deformities. Complete feather loss from all body areas (wing, tail, head and body) occurred over a period of a few days but all affected chicks appeared vigorous and quickly began to grow replacement feathers. All but one (recovered dead and submitted for post-mortem) most likely fledged 10-20 days after normal fledging age. Secondary covert feather samples were collected from PFL chicks (n=6; including shed feathers and re-growing live feathers) and normal individuals (n=8; plucked live feathers) and were analyzed for corticosterone concentrations. There was striking temporal association between the onset of PFL and persistent strong southwesterly winds that caused extensive mixing of near-shore surface water with cool, deep lake waters. We found no evidence of feather dystrophy, concurrent developmental abnormalities or nutritional shortfall among affected chicks. Thus, the PFL we observed among common terns in 2014 was largely of unknown origin but may have been caused by unidentified pathogens or toxins welling up from these deep waters along the shoreline. PFL was not observed among common terns at Gull Island in 2015, although we did observe similar feather loss in a herring gull Larus argentatus chick in that year. Comparison with sporadic records of PFL in other seabirds suggests that PFL may be a rare, but non-specific response to a range of potential stressors. Its reemergence in penguins, and now gulls and terns, may indicate widespread environmental changes that could lead to health risks for birds and other wildlife.

scholarly journals Contemporary premature feather loss (PFL) among common tern chicks in Lake Ontario: the return of an enigmatic developmental anomaly

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Arnold ◽  
Donald J. Tyerman ◽  
Doug Crump ◽  
Kim L. Williams ◽  
Stephen A. Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Temporal Association ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Developmental Abnormalities ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Shed Feathers

In July 2014, we observed premature feather loss (PFL) among non-sibling, common tern Sterna hirundo chicks between 2 and 4 weeks of age at Gull Island in northern Lake Ontario, Canada. Rarely observed in wild birds, to our knowledge PFL has not been recorded in terns since 1974, despite the banding of tens of thousands of tern chicks across North America since then. The prevalence (5% of chicks) and extent of feather loss was more extreme than in previous reports but was not accompanied by other aberrant developmental or physical deformities. Complete feather loss from all body areas (wing, tail, head and body) occurred over a period of a few days but all affected chicks appeared vigorous and quickly began to grow replacement feathers. All but one (recovered dead and submitted for post-mortem) most likely fledged 10-20 days after normal fledging age. Secondary covert feather samples were collected from PFL chicks (n=6; including shed feathers and re-growing live feathers) and normal individuals (n=8; plucked live feathers) and were analyzed for corticosterone concentrations. There was striking temporal association between the onset of PFL and persistent strong southwesterly winds that caused extensive mixing of near-shore surface water with cool, deep lake waters. We found no evidence of feather dystrophy, concurrent developmental abnormalities or nutritional shortfall among affected chicks. Thus, the PFL we observed among common terns in 2014 was largely of unknown origin but may have been caused by unidentified pathogens or toxins welling up from these deep waters along the shoreline. PFL was not observed among common terns at Gull Island in 2015, although we did observe similar feather loss in a herring gull Larus argentatus chick in that year. Comparison with sporadic records of PFL in other seabirds suggests that PFL may be a rare, but non-specific response to a range of potential stressors. Its reemergence in penguins, and now gulls and terns, may indicate widespread environmental changes that could lead to health risks for birds and other wildlife.

scholarly journals Premature feather loss among common tern chicks in Ontario: the return of an enigmatic developmental anomaly

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1959
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Arnold ◽  
Donald J. Tyerman ◽  
Doug Crump ◽  
Kim L. Williams ◽  
Stephen A. Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Temporal Association ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Developmental Abnormalities ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
Lake Waters

In July 2014, we observed premature feather loss (PFL) among non-sibling, common ternSterna hirundochicks between two and four weeks of age at Gull Island in northern Lake Ontario, Canada. Rarely observed in wild birds, to our knowledge PFL has not been recorded in terns since 1974, despite the subsequent banding of hundreds of thousands of tern chicks across North America alone. The prevalence, 5% of chicks (9/167), and extent of feather loss we report is more extreme than in previous reports for common terns but was not accompanied by other aberrant developmental or physical deformities. Complete feather loss from all body areas (wing, tail, head and body) occurred over a period of a few days but all affected chicks appeared vigorous and quickly began to grow replacement feathers. All but one chick (recovered dead and submitted for post-mortem) most likely fledged 10–20 days after normal fledging age. We found no evidence of feather dystrophy or concurrent developmental abnormalities unusual among affected chicks. Thus, the PFL we observed among common terns in 2014 was largely of unknown origin. There was striking temporal association between the onset of PFL and persistent strong southwesterly winds that caused extensive mixing of near-shore surface water with cool, deep lake waters. One hypothesis is that PFL may have been caused by unidentified pathogens or toxins welling up from these deep waters along the shoreline but current data are insufficient to test this. PFL was not observed among common terns at Gull Island in 2015, although we did observe similar feather loss in a herring gullLarus argentatuschick in that year. Comparison with sporadic records of PFL in other seabirds suggests that PFL may be a rare, but non-specific, response to a range of potential stressors. PFL is now known for gulls, penguins and terns.

scholarly journals Does contemporary premature feather loss among common tern chicks in Lake Ontario reflect persistent pollutants, enigmatic diseases or novel pathogens?

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M Arnold ◽  
Donald J Tyerman ◽  
Stephen Oswald
Keyword(s):  
Health Risks ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Temporal Association ◽  
Algal Toxins ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
Shed Feathers

We observed premature feather loss (PFL) among common terns Sterna hirundo at a small colony in northern Lake Ontario, Canada in July 2014. This condition is characterized by affected chicks losing all their wing, tail, head and body feathers several weeks after hatching. Rarely observed in wild birds, to our knowledge PFL in terns has not been recorded since 1974 (despite the banding of tens of thousands of tern chicks across North America since then). In July 2014, we observed PFL in chicks at between 2 and 4 weeks of age. The extent of feather loss was more extreme than in previous reports but was not accompanied by other aberrant developmental or physical deformities. Complete feather loss occurred over a period of a few days but all affected chicks quickly began to grow replacement feathers and all but one most likely fledged 10-20 days after normal fledging age. Feather samples, both shed feathers and re-growing live feathers, were collected from both affected chicks and normal individuals. One subsequently dead PFL chick was collected. Samples are awaiting further analysis. There was striking temporal association between the onset of PFL and persistent strong southwesterly winds that caused extensive mixing of near-shore, surface water with cool, deep lake waters. To our current knowledge it seems most probable that the PFL we observed in 2014 was caused by pathogens (viruses, bacteria, algal toxins) welling up from these deep waters along the shoreline but a direct link has not yet been made. The re-emergence of PFL in common terns may indicate acute health risks for birds and other wildlife in the Lake Ontario region and may also have potential for human health risks.

scholarly journals Contrasting Brood Sizes in Common and Arctic Terns: The Roles of Food Provisioning Rates and Parental Brooding

The Condor ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
James A. Robinson ◽  
Keith C. Hamer ◽  
Lorraine S. Chivers
Keyword(s):  
Energy Intake ◽  
Food Delivery ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Breeding Ecology ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Sterna Paradisaea ◽  
Metabolizable Energy Intake

Abstract Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea) and Common Terns (S. hirundo) are similar in many aspects of their breeding ecology, but Common Terns generally lay three eggs per clutch whereas Arctic Terns lay two. In our study, Common Terns had a higher rate of food delivery and energy supply to the nest and higher nest attendance, indicating that they made trips of shorter average duration. This suggests that the number of chicks raised by these two species was primarily limited by the rate at which parents could supply food. However, estimated daily metabolizable energy intake of chicks was about 30% higher in Common Terns than in Arctic Terns. Common Tern chicks apparently spent a higher proportion of daily energy intake on maintenance of body temperature. It remains unknown whether this difference was because Common Tern parents could not brood three chicks as effectively as Arctic Terns brooded two or because the energy requirements for heat production in the third-hatched Common Tern chick were particularly high. If brooding did play a less important role in the energy budgets of Common Terns, the number of chicks that Arctic Terns could raise may have been limited not only by the rate at which parents could supply food to the nest but also by the requirements of chicks for brooding. We suggest that more detailed studies on the role of brooding constraints in limiting brood size in these species are required to clarify this matter.

scholarly journals Floating rafts as breeding habitats for the Common tern, Sterna hirundo. Colonization patterns, abundance and reproductive success in Venice Lagoon

2018 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Coccon ◽  
Stefano Borella ◽  
Nicola Simeoni ◽  
Stefano Malavasi
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Venice Lagoon ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Colonization Patterns ◽  
Floating Rafts

The Venice lagoon hosts the 15% of the entire Italian breeding population of Common terns, Sterna hirundo, highlighting the great value of the area for this species. However, in the last 25 years, a substantial decline of Common terns has been detected in the Lagoon, which culminated in 2008. The main causes of this negative trend were the loss of salt marsh habitats, where terns typically breed in the Venice lagoon. This was due to the increase in the mean sea level and the greater frequency of high tides during the reproductive period with consequent flooding of their breeding sites; competition with yellowlegged gulls (Larus michahellis), predation and human disturbance. As a preliminary experimental approach to counter the depletion of the species and favour its recovery, we performed a habitat loss compensation project by setting up four floating rafts (3x2m), covered by two different types of substrate (sandy and vegetal substrate). This was to function as an artificial nesting site safe from flooding, positioned in a protected internal wetland area of the Venice lagoon, Valle Averto (Sourthern Lagoon). We studied the colonization patterns of the rafts and the reproductive success of Common tern breeding pairs during the 2014 and 2015 breeding seasons. We also investigated those environmental and structural variables that could favour the use of the rafts and the nesting success of the species. In both years, the rafts were successfully colonized and used by terns for nesting. Our results also indicated higher temperature, lower rainfall and greater distance from the shore as the main habitat factors favouring the occurrence and the reproductive success of the breeding pairs, while a windrow of dead plants was indicated as the preferred substrate for covering rafts in order to make them more attractive. The results provided some suggestions for successful restoration plans to be developed in similar lagoon areas.

scholarly journals CORRELATION OF ANA IMMUNOFLUOROSCENT TITRE AND PATTERN DISTRIBUTION WITH CLINICAL FEATURES: JOURNEY BEYOND SLE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. Pooja Prapanna ◽  
Dr. Neelam Bharihoke
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Features ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Autoimmune Disorder ◽  
Pyrexia Of Unknown Origin ◽  
Normal Individuals ◽  
Pattern Distribution ◽  
One Year ◽  
Immunofluorescent Test ◽  
Indirect Immunofluorescent ◽  
Positive Results

This is a Retrospective study conducted at Pathology department Bombay Hospital Indore. 300 patients were tested for presence of ANA antibody using indirect immunofluorescent test (IMMUNOSHOP AESKU SLIDES) over the period of one year. ANA testing by IIF is a highly valuable and time tested technique for diagnosis of autoimmune disorder.  Results should be interpretated in the light of clinical and biochemical findings as normal individuals have positive results on traditional ANA testing. The most definitive result from ANA testing is a negative test. This result, especially when coupled with negative tests on an ANA profile, suggests strongly that ANA associated diseases are unlikely to be present. This imparts a high NPV to ANA IIF tests. Apart from the usually described clinical features this study highlights few of the uncommon isolated clinical features like cytopenias, myopathies and Pyrexia of unknown origin and utility of ANA IIF in establishing diagnosis. We at our centre perform ANA profile of patients to further classify the disease which is beyond the scope of this article. Keywords: ANA, Immunofluoroscent, Titre & SLE

scholarly journals Some Population Aspects of Common Tern Sterna hirundo Breeding in Algeria at a Small Mediterranean Island (East Coast of Algeria)

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-69
Author(s):  
Mohamed Dhaya El-Hak Khemis ◽  
Lamia Boutabia ◽  
Kamilia Farhi ◽  
Ali Elafri ◽  
Asma Kahli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clutch Size ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Shape Index ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Mediterranean Island ◽  
Mussel Shells

Abstract We present the first detailed study of population dynamics, breeding biology and egg measurement of Common Terns. During six years (from 2004 to 2009) of monitoring, from mid-May to mid-August, 74 Common Terns individual were recorded at Laouinet small island, El Tarf, northeast of Algeria, witha finite population growth rate that indicated an alarming population decline(λ = -0.62: Lambda). Sterna hirundo build its nests (n = 37) in the northeast at a mean distance of 7.58 m from the closest edge of rocks. The nests were closed and ovoid, constituted mainly of mussel shells Sandpit, stems and leaves. Incubation was performed by pairs of common tern and lasted 25.5 ±3.4 days. We recorded a clutch size of 1 to 3 eggs with mean clutch size of 2.45±0.65 (41.24±0.83 × 30.46±0.62 mm). The egg parameters (volume, mass, shape index) varied between the six years of the study. The egg volume (19.24±0.87) depended more on egg width (30.46±0.62), however the egg shape (0.73±0.20) depended negatively on the egg length (41.24±0.83) but not on the egg width. Our results also showed a stabilized hatching success and a best estimation of breeding success. The hatching success did not vary between years: 70.5% in 2004, 68.75% in 2005, 71.42% in 2006, 71.42% in 2007, 69.23% in 2008 and 69.23% in 2009.

scholarly journals Clinical and etiological spectrum of prolonged fever and special reference to HIV patients at a tertiary care centre

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2243
Author(s):  
Suresh Behera ◽  
D. K. S. Subrahmanyam ◽  
Jyoti Bajpai ◽  
Akshyaya Pradhan ◽  
Abhishek Singh
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Final Diagnosis ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
Tertiary Care Centre ◽  
Prolonged Fever ◽  
Etiological Spectrum ◽  
Laboratory Examinations ◽  
To Come

Background: Prolonged fever is a diagnostic challenge and will tend to remain so in times to come because of the changing spectrum of etiologies and influence of technology, environmental changes, and many other ill-understood factors which influence the etiological spectrum. Prolonged fever is also undergoing change in its duration. The aim of the present was study to determine the etiologies of prolonged fever in patients in India and to evaluate the clinical and etiological relationship between the diagnosis and patient’s laboratory data.Methods: Patients aged more 13 years with fever >38.3ºC for more than three weeks without apparent source after preliminary investigations were included prospectively over a period of twenty two months. Fever duration, symptom, signs, laboratory investigations and final diagnosis were recorded. The distribution of etiologies and age, fever duration, laboratory examinations, and associated symptoms and signs were analyzed.Results: Out of total of 86 patients were enrolled, fifty one (59.3%) were men. The median age was 28 years (range, 13-65 yr). Among 86 patients, diagnosis could be made in only 69 (80.2%) patients. Infections, neoplasms, NIIDs, miscellaneous causes were responsible for prolonged fever in 42 (48.8%), 18 (20.9%), 6 (7%), and 3 (3.5%) patients respectively. Seveteen (19.8%) cases remained undiagnosed, even after relevant investigations, six of them recovered spontaneously. Tuberculosis (TB) was the cause of prolonged fever in 21 (24.4%) patients.Conclusions: Infections, amongst which tuberculosis, remain the major cause of prolonged fever and its subset: fever of unknown origin (FUO), in this country. The percent of undiagnosed cases appears to be identical worldwide.

Organochlorine Contaminants in Avian Wildlife of Severn Sound

1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela A. Martin ◽  
D. Vaughn Weseloh ◽  
Christine A. Bishop ◽  
Karin Legierse ◽  
Birgit Braune ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Breast Muscle ◽  
Tree Swallow ◽  
Tree Swallows ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Terrestrial Arthropods ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Organochlorine Contaminants ◽  
Caspian Terns

Abstract Organochlorine contaminants were measured in pooled egg samples of colonial waterbirds, red-winged blackbirds and tree swallows breeding in or near Severn Sound, Lake Huron, an area designated by the International Joint Commission as an Area of Concern, during 1991. Breast muscle samples of staging waterfowl were also collected the preceding autumn. PCBs, DDE and mirex were the most prevalent organochlorine contaminants present in eggs (concentration ranges of 0.065 to 5.452, 0.118 to 3.12 and 0.007 to 0.174 mg/kg, respectively), while oxychlordane, cis-chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor, OCS, HCB and beta-HCH were also detectable at low levels in some egg samples. Tetra- and pentachlorobenzene, and alpha-and gamma-HCH were not detected in any of the samples. Generally, the following interspecific gradient in contaminant levels in bird eggs was found: herring gulls = Caspian terns > common terns > tree swallows > blackbirds. Concentrations in the eggs of piscivorous birds in Severn Sound were similar or slightly lower than those from other colonies in Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, and considerably lower than those from colonies in Hamilton Harbour, Lake Ontario. Mirex levels in herring gulls and Caspian terns from Severn Sound colonies were an exception in that they were substantially higher than levels from other Lake Huron colonies (0.174 and 0.167 mg.kg-1 for the two species, respectively, versus <0.12 mg.kg-1), although still much lower than those from Lake Ontario (0.50 and 0.719, respectively). It is probable that mirex was accumulated by gulls and terns during winter or migrational stopovers on Lake Ontario. Low contaminant levels in common terns may have been a result of their consumption of a smaller size class of prey fish. Higher contaminant levels in tree swallow eggs in comparison to red-winged blackbird eggs may have been due to the preponderance of aquatic insects in their diets, as opposed to the larger proportion of terrestrial arthropods in blackbird diets. Only PCBs and DDE were detected in the breast muscle of lesser scaup and mallards.

Consequences of variation in brood size on the allocation of parental care in common terns (Sterna hirundo)

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 2411-2413 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Wiggins
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Common Tern ◽  
Sterna Hirundo ◽  
Foraging Effort ◽  
Common Terns ◽  
Care Patterns

Data on the behaviour of common tern (Sterna hirundo) parents were analyzed to document shifts in parental care patterns with changes in brood size. The primary roles of the sexes, chick feeding by males, and brood attendance by females, did not change with shifts in brood size. Rather, parents simply altered the amount of care provided. One-chick broods received more parental attendance at the nest site than both two- and three-chick broods, likely as a result of the increased foraging effort of two- and three-chick parents. The number of chick feeds per hour increased significantly with each increase in brood size, but the number of feeds of each chick per hour did not. Thus, although parents increased their foraging effort with increasing brood size, the net effect was that chicks in all brood sizes were fed at similar rates.

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