Methylmercury Effects on Birds: Bibliography and Dataset for the Development of Toxicity Reference Values for Injury Assessment

This data release contains three files. The first (Table S1 Bibliography Dataset) contains the entire bibliography for the 435 publications examined for potential inclusion into at least one of the meta-analyses for the effects of environmental mercury (Hg) on birds. For those 168 publications that were included in at least one meta-analysis, the worksheet titled Bibliography contains data describing each sub-dataset, including the type of study, data extraction methods, biological endpoints measured, age class, tissue-residue Hg concentrations, dosing Hg concentrations, the measured effect of Hg, bird taxonomy, life history, and the study’s citation. The worksheet titled Header Explanation describes each column within the Bibliography. The worksheet titled Flowchart describes the process of how the different columns within the Bibliography worksheet can be filtered to produce the studies and sub-datasets that were included within a specific meta-analysis (e.g., combinations of endpoint categories and age classes). The second file (Table S2 Detailed Endpoints) contains the entire list of detailed biological endpoints measured by studies examining the effect of Hg on birds and how they were categorized into the six main endpoint categories (i.e., survival, offspring output, behavior, biochemical, histology, and body morphology) and the three combined endpoints categories (i.e., combined reproduction endpoints, combined survival and reproduction endpoints, and all endpoints during the breeding season). The number of publications and sub-datasets (both for all time periods and those conducted during the breeding season) that quantified each endpoint are listed. The third (Table S3 Data Tables) contains the data used in all 87 meta analyses and shows how each row of data (datapoint used in at least one meta analysis) was categorized into the six main endpoint categories and the three combined endpoint categories. Each of the seven worksheets in the Table S3 Data Tables represents a different type of Hg on the x axis (adult blood-equivalent Hg, egg-equivalent Hg, Hg injected into eggs, maternal dietary Hg for effects on eggs, maternal dietary Hg for effects on juveniles, adult dietary Hg for effects on adults, and juvenile dietary Hg for effects on juveniles).

These data support the following publication:
Ackerman, J.T., Peterson, S.H., Herzog, M.P. and Yee, J.L., 2024. Methylmercury Effects on Birds: A Review, Meta-Analysis, and Development of Toxicity Reference Values for Injury Assessment Based on Tissue Residues and Diet. Environmental Toxicology Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5858.

These data are associated with a software release:
Ackerman, J.T., Herzog, M.P.,  Peterson, S.H., and Yee, J.L., 2024, The Bird Mercury Tool: Estimating methylmercury injury to birds: U.S. Geological Survey software release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9MSD8X0.