Environmental pollution it can trigger changes the tone in bird song. The team of researchers from the Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University in the U.S. found inconsistencies in the singing of birds which is triggered by sediment contaminants on the Hudson River in New York.
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| It turns out that some songbirds may be singing to a different tune. This isn't due to personal preference, though; scientists have discovered that the inconsistency in the songs could be caused by non-lethal levels of contaminants in the birds' environment. (Picture from: http://www.scienceworldreport.com/) |
The research team led by Sara DeLeon studied populations of black-capped chickadees songbird (Poecile atricapillus) and song sparrows (Melospiza Melodia) that nest along the Hudson River valley. The area has been contaminated by PCB waste of the electronics manufacturing industry in the headwaters. PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyls are synthetic chemical pollutants that can trigger toxic effects and interfere with the development in humans and wildlife.
Toxic contaminants that enter to the bird's bodies through their food. The bird mother feeding her child with insects from polluted river sediment. Some birds eat contaminated insects throughout their life, thereby increasing the consumption of PCBs in their bodies.
To determine the impact of contaminants on the changes in bird song, DeLeon and her colleagues observe and record those two songbirds populations. They also measured levels and identify the PCBs variants along the river.
Research shows that levels of PCBs in the blood of black-capped chickadees and song sparrows which are lived on the polluted area. "black-capped chickadees indicates a more diverse variety of songs. There are changes in the ratio of 'glissando' on the first pitch of their singing that contains two tones, the 'fee-bee, fee-bee'," said DeLeon. While on the sparrows singing songs also indicate sound vibrations changes allegedly caused by exposure to different types of PCBs molecules that are less toxic.
DeLeon said, in areas affected PCB pollution, the specific identity signal in black-capped chickadees singing became more varied significantly. Variations in the sound vibrations in the song sparrow singing PCB contaminated areas are also to be diverse.
"PCBs can affect the production of the song, an important component in the communication in the bird world," DeLeon said, as quoted by the ScienceDaily site, on September 23, 2013. Changes in quality of the two populations of birds singing at the same time it is also an indicator of the PCBs toxic effects to the environment along the Hudson River. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENCEDAILY | ERWIN Z | KORAN TEMPO 4353]
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