Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28724244›Full record

ArticleThe Science of the total environment2017

Evaluating mercury concentrations and body condition in American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), Florida.

Frances M Nilsen, Jonathan E Dorsey, Russell H Lowers, Louis J Guillette, Stephen E Long, John A Bowden, Tracey B Schock

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Science of the total environment, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Using Crocodylians for monitoring mercury in the tropics.Ecotoxicology (London, England) · 2023
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Frances M NilsenMedical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA. Electronic address: frances.nilsen@nist.gov.
Jonathan E DorseyMedical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Russell H LowersIntegrated Mission Support Service (IMSS), Titusville, FL, USA.
Louis J GuilletteMedical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Stephen E LongNational Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA.
John A BowdenNational Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA.
Tracey B SchockNational Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Lab, Charleston, SC, USA.
Medical University of South Carolina · USNational Institute of Standards and Technology · USNCCOS Hollings Marine Laboratory · US

Funding

Intramural NIST DOC 9999-NIST
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Concentrations of mercury (Hg) are not well studied in free-ranging wildlife. Atmospheric deposition patterns of Hg have been studied in detail and have been modeled for both global and specific locations and often correlate to environmental impact. However, monitoring the impact of Hg deposition in wildlife is complicated due to local environmental conditions that can affect the transformation of atmospheric Hg to the biologically available forms (e.g., rainfall, humidity, pH, the ability of the environment to methylate Hg), as well as affect the accessibility to organisms for sampling. In this study, Hg concentrations in blood samples from a population of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR), FL, USA, over a seven-year period (2007 to 2014; n=174 individuals) were examined to assess Hg variation in the population, as well as the difference in Hg concentration as a function of health status. While most of this population is healthy, 18 individuals with low body mass indices (BMI, defined in this study) were captured throughout the sampling period. These alligators exhibited significantly elevated Hg concentrations compared to their age/sex/season matched counterparts with normal BMI, suggesting that health status should be taken into account when examining Hg concentrations and effects. Alligator blood Hg concentrations were related to the interaction of age/size, sex, and season. This study illustrates the value of a routinely monitored population of large predators in a unique coastal wetland ecosystem, and illuminates the value of long-term environmental exposure assessment.

Indexed as

Alligators and CrocodilesAnimalsEnvironmental ExposureEnvironmental PollutantsFemaleFloridaMaleMercuryEnvironmental PollutantsMercuryAlligatorBehaviorFloridaHealthMercurySeasonal

Identifiers

PMID28724244
PMCPMC11279556
OpenAlexW2740655378

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.