0000000000415364
AUTHOR
Risto Palokangas
Seasonal changes in some thermoregulatory variables of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus L.)
Abstract 1. The body weight, plumage, insulation, oxygen consumption and body lipids were studied seasonally in the house sparrow, Passer domesticus L. 2. The weights of body and plumage were greater in autumn and winter than in summer. 3. The insulative property of the plumage was better in autumn and winter birds than in summer birds. 4. The oxygen consumption of young birds was higher than that of plucked and adult birds. 5. The amount of subcutaneous depot fat tissue and its lipid content was greatest in autumn. The C18-unsaturated fatty acids were most prominent in the subcutaneous fat. Palmitic acid was the most prevalent fatty acid in the liver. The relative amount of C18-unsaturated…
Chlorinated hydrocarbons and total mercury in the prey of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla L.) in the quarken straits of the gulf of bothnia, Finland
Samples of the white-tailed eagle population and its prey were collected from the Quarken straits area of the Gulf of Bothnia, Finland, and were analyzed for DDT, DDD, PCBs, aldrin, lindane, and mercury. Mercury, PCB, and DDE were detected in all animals studied. It was concluded that one of the most important reasons for the poor breeding results of the white-tained eagle (especially hatchability) are the combined effects of the studied pollutants originating for the most part from the fish-eating species in its prey (mergansers and great crested grebes). (JTE)