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The TERRA Mercury Network
The TERRA (Terrestrial Ecosystem ReseaRch and Assessment) Mercury Network focuses on using songbirds and bats to determine the potential negative impact of pollutants on terrestrial ecosystems. As a result of comprehensive research efforts between BioDiversity Research Institute and our research collaborators, we now know that mercury, a toxin long thought to affect only aquatic systems, also has the ability to move into terrestrial systems and bioaccumulate in upper trophic level terrestrial organisms.
Historically, TERRA has been focused on the northeastern United States, but the scope of the TERRA network currently includes 219 locations across the globe, including Belize, Germany, Sweden, Malaysia, and China. Focal areas for 2009 include Virginia, the Great Lakes region, Alaska, Colorado, and locations in Central America.
Network Objectives
- Understand and describe a previously undocumented terrestrial pathway linking atmospheric deposition of mercury with the bioaccumulation of converted methylmercury into the blood of insect-eating birds and bats;
- Evaluate the exposure of biota in locations and ecosystems thought to be most sensitive to long-distance mercury transport;
- Evaluate the exposure of upper trophic level biota that are thought to be most vulnerable to mercury contamination;
- Integrate TERRA with other national and international mercury monitoring efforts to monitor changes in levels over time;
- Network with other avian and bat monitoring projects such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birds in Forested Landscapes to determine the effects of elevated mercury on productivity, presence and density of birds and bats.
Sampling protocols
TERRA examines mercury exposure in multiple aspects of ecosystems, including soil, atmospheric deposition, litterfall, several invertebrate compartments, songbirds, and bats. This breadth of information allows us to examine how inorganic mercury moves into ecosystems, becomes bioavailable to organisms, accumulates in invertebrates, and then biomagnifies up the food chain.
The new TERRA Network SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for field sampling is now available! Contact Kate Williams with questions and comments. TERRA Network Sampling Protocol.
Collaborators
BRI’s TERRA Network has greatly benefited from the cooperative support of academic institutions, governmental agencies, non-profits, and other companies and institutions. While BRI is always ready to expand our TERRA Network and include new collaborators, you must have prior banding and bleeding experience to run a TERRA site. If you and your organization do not have the necessary experience, you may enlist the help of one or more collaborators. For more information about TERRA or to inquire about becoming a collaborator, please contact Kate Williams.
The North American Banding Council publishes very useful guides to banding and handling birds, including the signs of stress in handled birds, ageing information, and tips on teaching new banders (http://www.nabanding.net/pubs.html). Links to two of these publications are below. We strongly suggest all TERRA collaborators read through these publications, as well as the introduction to the Pyle guide.
The North American Banders' Study Guide
The North American Banders' Manual for Banding Passerines and Near-passerines
Recent Reports, Papers and Presentations
- Evers, D.C., K.A. Williams, and M. Duron. 2009. Protocol for TERRA Network: Sampling Songbirds, Bats, Invertebrates, Litterfall and Soil for Contaminant Analysis. Report BRI 2009-17, BioDiversity Research Institute, Gorham, Maine. pdf
- Evers, D.C. 2008. Mercury in terrestrial birds of Belize. Report BRI 2008-05. BioDiversity Research Institute, Gorham, Maine. pdf
- D.C. Evers and M. Duron. 2006. Developing an exposure profile for mercury in breeding birds of New York and Pennsylvania, 2005. Report BRI 2006-11 submitted to the The Nature Conservancy. BioDiversity Research Institute, Gorham, ME. pdf
