Global News - August 2008
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Chemical shown to possibly threaten some birds' survival chances
Wed 27 August 2008 14:00 UK — North America,Birds
New research has suggested that chemicals once used in power plants could affect the songs that certain species of birds sing, putting their future survival in doubt.
The New Scientist reported that Sara DeLeon, an ecologist at Cornell University in the US, delivered the research into the songs of wild chickadees at a recent conference at the institution.
She showed that wild chickadees exposed to permitted levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are less able to hold a tune than those that have not come into contact with the chemicals.
As females pick mates partly based on their singing ability, the researcher suggested that the exposure to the chemical could interfere with survival.
"The birds are living, not dying, but [PCBs] are affecting some part of their life cycle," Ms DeLeon told the publication.
"It was kind of scary because their immune system was shot to hell … The females were preferring males that were singing better, but [the song] wasn't an honest signal of quality."
Tim DeVoogd, a neuroscientist also from Cornell, postulated that the PCBs - which formerly were used in insulation in power stations - could stunt growth and development in a part of the brain important for song.
He explained to the New Scientist: "One of things they can do is mess up hormone receptors in the brain, and you need hormone receptors to develop correctly."
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