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Faber, R.A., and J.A. Nosek. 1985. Preliminary assessment of tern reproduction in relation to environmental contaminants on the Mississippi River. Final report submitted to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Unpaged.
Introduction:
In this paper we report the concentrations of PCB's and other chlorinated hydrocarbons in the eggs of the black tern (Chlidonias niger) and Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) from the upper Mississippi River in Minnesota. We also report on the reproductive success of these species.
This study had four initial objectives: 1) to survey areas of the Mississippi River with extensive emergent aquatic vegetation in search of black tern and Forster's tern breeding colonies, 2) to determine levels of certain chlorinated hydrocarbons in samples of eggs of the black tern, 3) to determine, insofar as possible, hatching success in the colonies encountered, 4) to compare the thickness index of collected eggshells with that of shells collected before 1947.