Publications

sarcocystis sp. in wading birds (ciconiiformes) from florida.	sarcocysts were found in striated muscle of 21 adult wading birds among 145 examined grossly and 70 examined histologically (calculated prevalence = 24%), and in none of 332 immature wading birds examined from florida (usa). six of 12 species of ciconiforms were infected (ardea herodias, casmerodius albus, egretta caerulea, nyctanassa violacea, butorides striatus, eudocimus albus). cysts were filamentous, usually extended the entire length of the muscle fiber, and were visible grossly in 33% of ...	1994	8151820
the epizootiology of eustrongylidosis in wading birds (ciconiiformes) in florida.	a total of 2,167 individuals representing 15 species of wading birds was examined for infection with the nematode eustrongylides ignotus in florida (usa). ten of the species were infected with the greatest prevalences occurring in great blue herons (ardea herodius) (33%), great egrets (casmerodius albus) (22%), and snowy egrets (egretta thula) (19%). among nestlings, prevalences increased with age. this parasite was estimated to cause at least 80% mortality among nestling ciconiiforms at one col ...	1993	8487373
effects of mercury on health and first-year survival of free-ranging great egrets (ardea albus) from southern florida.	the objectives of this study were to determine whether elevated mercury (hg) concentrations have a negative impact on the health and survival of nestling and juvenile free-ranging great egrets (ardea albus) from southern florida. during 1994, when health and survival was monitored in a cohort of young birds with naturally variable concentrations of hg, packed cell volume was positively correlated with blood hg concentrations, and high hg concentration in blood was not related to the probability ...	1999	10473794
wading birds as bioindicators of mercury contamination in florida, usa: annual and geographic variation.	mercury contamination in wetland biota is often dynamic, difficult to predict, and costly to track. in this paper, we present results from a six-year study of growing feathers of piscivorous birds as monitors of wetland hg exposure in florida, usa, wetlands. between 1994 and 2000, we collected feathers of growing great egret (ardea alba) nestlings from colonies in the freshwater everglades of southern florida, and during 1998, feathers were collected from chicks of both great egrets and white ib ...	2002	11804050
a historical record of mercury contamination in southern florida (usa) as inferred from avian feather tissue.	during the late 1980s, the upper trophic-level biota of the everglades (fl, usa) was recognized as being highly contaminated with mercury (hg). however, the timing and pattern of that increase is poorly known, and no information is available about mercury contamination in everglades wildlife prior to 1974. we measured methylmercury concentrations in feathers of white ibises (n = 33), great egrets (n = 7), anhingas (n = 21), and great blue herons (n = 12) from museum specimens collected from 1910 ...	2004	15376533
ecological risk of methylmercury in everglades national park, florida, usa.	dramatic declines in mercury levels have been reported in everglades biota in recent years. yet, methylmercury (mehg) hot spots remain. this paper summarizes a risk assessment of mehg exposure to three piscivorous wildlife species (bald eagle, haliaeetus leucocephalus; wood stork, mycteria americana; and great egret, ardea albus) foraging at a mehg hot spot in northern everglades national park (enp). available data consisted of literature-derived life history parameters and tissue concentrations ...	2008	18679795
feather mercury concentrations and physiological condition of great egret and white ibis nestlings in the florida everglades.	mercury contamination in the florida everglades has reportedly played a role in the recent decline of wading birds, although no studies have identified a mechanism leading to population-level effects. we assessed feather mercury levels in great egret (ardea alba; n=91) and white ibis (eudocimus albus; n=46) nestlings at breeding colonies in the florida everglades during a year (2006) with excellent breeding conditions (characterized by hydrology leading to concentrated prey) and a year with belo ...	2009	19217646
landscape factors and hydrology influence mercury concentrations in wading birds breeding in the florida everglades, usa.	the hydrology of wetland ecosystems is a key driver of both mercury (hg) methylation and waterbird foraging ecology, and hence may play a fundamental role in waterbird exposure and risk to hg contamination. however, few studies have investigated hydrological factors that influence waterbird hg exposure. we examined how several landscape-level hydrological variables influenced hg concentrations in great egret and white ibis adults and chicks in the florida everglades. the great egret is a visual ...	2013	23707869
physiological condition of juvenile wading birds in relation to multiple landscape stressors in the florida everglades: effects of hydrology, prey availability, and mercury bioaccumulation.	the physiological condition of juvenile birds can be influenced by multiple ecological stressors, and few studies have concurrently considered the effects of environmental contaminants in combination with ecological attributes that can influence foraging conditions and prey availability. using three temporally distinct indices of physiological condition, we compared the physiological response of nestling great egrets (ardea alba) and white ibises (eudocimus albus) to changing prey availability, ...	2014	25184221