Effects of Fog Oil Smoke on the Hatchability and Fledgling Survival of the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), a Nestling Surrogate for the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

Abstract

Eggs and nestlings of captive house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were exposed for 30 minutes to either field typical (100 mg/cu m) or higher (450 mg/cu m) concentrations of fog oil aerosols. Nest boxes were excavated according to the internal dimensions of natural cavities of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and the fog oil concentration within the artificial and natural cavities compared to ensure exposure realism. Internal concentrations stabilized at about 75 percent of the external airborne concentration of fog oil. Deposition of fog oil on eggs was measured and found to be low but greater than found on eggs placed outside the nest boxes. Although exposures were made during sensitive development periods (first 5 days of embryonic or nestling growth), no adverse effect on hatchability, fledgling production and survivability were observed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA411029

Entities

People

  • Crystal Driver
  • Gary Dennis
  • Jennifer Ollero
  • Robert Fulton
  • Yin Fong Su

Organizations

  • Engineer Research and Development Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Birds
  • Cells
  • Environmental Protection
  • Habitats
  • Liquid Chromatography
  • Three Dimensional
  • Wildlife

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aerosol Science/Aerosol Physics
  • Immunology
  • Wetland-Land-Environmental Management.