Allometry, bilateral asymmetry and sexual differences in the vocal tract of common eiders Somateria mollissima and king eiders S. spectabilis

Influence of petroleum hydrocarbons on the endoparasitic helminths of the common eider, Somateria mollissima, from Newfoundland.

A comparison of commonly occurring metazoan parasites in the digestive tract was made between common eiders, Somateria mollissima, that were contaminated with oil and reference birds confiscated from illegal hunting. There was a greater number of commonly occurring parasites and their abundance in reference than in oiled eiders. Except for an acanthocephalan, Polymorphus botulus, which was embe...

Changing distribution of flocking sea ducks as non-regenerating food resources are depleted

Sutherland & Anderson (1993; J Theor Biol 160:223–230) considered how the distribution of consumers should change as prey resources fixed at the start of a period of exploitation are depleted by foraging activities. Their model predicts that consumers initially aggregate on a single or a few patches offering the highest feeding rate. As the prey density in those patches is reduced, the feeding ...

HierarcHical Spatial Genetic Structure of common eiderS (Somateria molliSSima) BreedinG alonG a miGratory corridor

Coupling contaminants with demography: effects of lead and selenium in Pacific common eiders.

We coupled intensive population monitoring with collection of blood samples from 383 nesting Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollisima v-nigrum) at two locations in Alaska (USA) from 2002 to 2004. We investigated annual, geographic, and within-season variation in blood concentrations of lead and selenium; compared exposure patterns with sympatrically nesting spectacled eiders (Somateria fische...

Effects of dietary selenium on tissue concentrations, pathology, oxidative stress, and immune function in common eiders (Somateria mollissima).

Common eiders (Somateria mollissima) were fed added Se (as L-selenomethionine) in concentrations increasing from 10 to 80 ppm in a pilot study (Study 1) or 20 (low exposure) and up to 60 (high exposure) ppm Se in Study 2. Body weights of Study 1 ducks and high-exposure ducks in Study 2 declined rapidly. Mean concentrations of Se in blood reached 32.4 ppm wet weight in Study 1 and 17.5 ppm wet w...