Josh T Ackerman
Dr. Ackerman is a Principal Investigator with USGS and an Associate in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at the University of California-Davis.
Avian mercury exposure and toxicological risk across western North America: A synthesis
Avian mercury exposure and toxicological risk across western North America: A synthesis
Mercury contamination of birds is prevalent in many areas throughout western North America, and large-scale ecological attributes are important factors influencing bird mercury concentrations. This report synthesizes the available data on mercury contamination of birds in western North America.
Development of methylmercury toxicity reference values in birds
Development of methylmercury toxicity reference values in birds
Birds are used as bioindicators of environmental mercury contamination, and toxicity reference values are needed for injury assessments. We conducted a comprehensive review, summarized data from 168 studies, performed a series of meta-analyses, and developed new toxicity reference values for the effects of methylmercury on birds.
Josh's research expertise is in wildlife ecology and ecotoxicology, and his research program focuses on bird ecology, wetland management and restoration, contaminant bioaccumulation in fish and wildlife, and effects of contaminants on animal health and populations.
Professional Experience
Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, California (2006-present)
Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, Vallejo, California (2004-2006)
Post-doctoral Researcher, John Muir Institute of the Environment, University of California-Davis (2003-2004)
Post-doctoral Researcher, Dept. of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California-Davis (2002-2003)
Teaching Assistant, Ecology and Management of Waterfowl and Game Birds (Spring 2002) and Field Methods in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology (Summer 2001), Dept. of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California-Davis
Waterfowl Researcher (1999-2000), Crew Leader (Spring 1998, 1999, 2000), and Technician (Spring 1997), California Waterfowl Association, Sacramento, California
Doctoral Research, Dept. of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California-Davis (1997-2002)
Biological Technician (Summer 1995) and Biological Aid (Summer 1994), U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest, Nevada City, California
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2002, Ecology, University of California-Davis
B.S. 1997 (Magna Cum Laude), Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California-Davis
Science and Products
Synthesis of maternal transfer of mercury in birds: Implications for altered toxicity risk
Maternal transfer is the predominant route of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure to offspring. We reviewed and synthesized published and unpublished data on maternal transfer of MeHg in birds. Using paired samples of females’ blood (n=564) and their eggs (n=1814) from 26 bird species in 6 taxonomic orders, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate whether maternal transfer of MeHg to eggs differed amo
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, David C. Evers, Daniel A. Cristol, Kevin P. Kenow, Gary Heinz, Raphael A Lavoie, Rebecka Brasso, Mark L. Mallory, Jennifer F Provencher, Birgit M Braune, Angela Matz, Joel A. Schmutz, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Lucas J Savoy, Michael W. Meyer, C. Alex Hartman
Filter Total Items: 200
Synthesis of maternal transfer of mercury in birds: Implications for altered toxicity risk
Maternal transfer is the predominant route of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure to offspring. We reviewed and synthesized published and unpublished data on maternal transfer of MeHg in birds. Using paired samples of females’ blood (n=564) and their eggs (n=1814) from 26 bird species in 6 taxonomic orders, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate whether maternal transfer of MeHg to eggs differed amo
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, David C. Evers, Daniel A. Cristol, Kevin P. Kenow, Gary Heinz, Raphael A Lavoie, Rebecka Brasso, Mark L. Mallory, Jennifer F Provencher, Birgit M Braune, Angela Matz, Joel A. Schmutz, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Lucas J Savoy, Michael W. Meyer, C. Alex Hartman
Methylmercury exposure in wildlife: A review of the ecological and physiological processes affecting contaminant concentrations and their interpretation
Exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) can result in detrimental health effects in wildlife. With advances in ecological indicators and analytical techniques for measurement of MeHg in a variety of tissues, numerous processes have been identified that can influence MeHg concentrations in wildlife. This review presents a synthesis of theoretical principals and applied information for measuring MeHg expos
Authors
John Chételat, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Craig E. Hebert
Wintering in the western subarctic pacific increases mercury contamination of Red-legged Kittiwakes
Marine methylmercury concentrations vary geographically and with depth, exposing organisms to different mercury levels in unique habitats. Red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris), a specialist predator, forage on fish and invertebrates from the mesopelagic zone, a part of the ocean with elevated methylmercury concentrations. We used kittiwakes as bioindicators of MeHg concentrations in remote
Authors
Abram S Fleishman, Rachael Orben, Nobuo Kokubun, Alexis Will, Rosana Paredes, Joshua T. Ackerman, Akinori Takahashi, Alexander Kitaysky, Scott A. Shaffer
Moving at the speed of flight: Dabbling duck-movement rates and the relationship with electronic tracking interval
Context. Effective wildlife management requires information on habitat and resource needs, which can be estimated with movement information and modelling energetics. One necessary component of avian models is flight speeds at multiple temporal scales. Technology has limited the ability to accurately assess flight speeds, leading to estimates of questionable accuracy, many of which have not been up
Authors
Fiona McDuie, Michael L. Casazza, David A. Keiter, Cory T. Overton, Mark P. Herzog, Cliff L. Feldheim, Joshua T. Ackerman
Social attraction used to establish Caspian tern nesting colonies in San Francisco Bay
Conservation of colonial waterbird breeding populations often includes restoring historic nesting habitat or establishing new nesting habitat in protected areas. However, colonization of new or restored nesting habitat may be hindered by the lack of social cues from nesting conspecifics to attract prospecting birds. Social attraction, whereby decoys and colony sound recordings are used to mimic ac
Authors
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Cheryl Strong, David A Trachtenbarg
Current state of knowledge on biological effects from contaminants on arctic wildlife and fish
Since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of the exposure to organohalogen compounds (OHCs) in Arctic biota, there has been a considerable number of new Arctic effect studies. Here, we provide an update on the state of the knowledge of OHC, and also include mercury, exposure and/or associated effects in key Arctic marine and terrestrial ma
Authors
Rune Dietz, Robert J. Letcher, Jean-Pierre Desforges, Igor Eulaers, Christian Sonne, Simon Wilson, Emilie Andersen-Ranberg, Niladri Basu, Benjamin D. Barst, Jan Ove Bustnes, Jenny Bytingsvik, Tomasz M. Ciesielski, Paul E. Drevnick, Geir W. Gabrielsen, Ane Haarr, Ketil Hylland, Bjørn Munro Jenssen, Milton Levin, Melissa A. McKinney, Rasmus Dyrmose Nørregaard, Kathrine E. Pedersen, Jennifer Provencher, Bjarne Styrishave, Sabrina Tartu, Jon Aars, Joshua T. Ackerman, Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid, Rob Barrett, Anders Bignert, Erik W. Born, Marsha Branigan, Birgit Braune, Colleen E. Bryan, Maria Dam, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Marlene S. Evans, Thomas J. Evans, Aaron T. Fisk, Mary Gamberg, Kim Gustavson, C. Alex Hartman, Björn Helander, Mark P. Herzog, Paul F. Hoekstra, Magali Houde, Katrin Hoydal, Allyson K. Jackson, John Kucklick, Elisabeth Lie, Lisa Loseto, Mark L. Mallory, Cecilie Miljeteig, Anders Mosbech, Derek C.G. Muir, Sanna Túni Nielsen, Elizabeth Peacock, Sara Pedro, Sarah H. Peterson, Anuschka Polder, Frank F. Rigét, Pat Roach, Halvor Saunes, Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding, Janneche U. Skaare, Jens Søndergaard, Garry Stenson, Gary Stern, Gabriele Treu, Stacy S. Schuur, Gísli Víkingsson
Wetland management strategy to reduce mercury export in water and bioaccumulation in fish
Wetland environments provide numerous ecosystem services but also facilitate methylmercury (MeHg) production and bioaccumulation. We developed a wetland‐management technique to reduce MeHg concentrations in wetland fish and water. We physically modified seasonal wetlands by constructing open‐ and deep‐water treatment cells at the downstream end of seasonal wetlands to promote naturally occurring M
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Jacob Fleck, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Mark P. Herzog, Harry L. McQuillen
San Francisco Bay triennial bird egg monitoring program for contaminants, California—2018
The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP), administered by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, is a large-scale effort to monitor contaminant trends in water, sediment, fish, and birds throughout San Francisco Bay (San Francisco Estuary Institute, 2016). As part of the RMP and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) long-term Wildlife Contaminants Program, the USGS sa
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog, Matthew Toney
Feather mercury concentrations in North American raptors sampled at migration monitoring stations
We assessed total mercury (THg) concentrations in breast feathers of diurnal North American raptors collected at migration monitoring stations. For 9 species in the Pacific Flyway, we found species and age influenced feather THg concentrations whereas sex did not. Feather THg concentrations µg/g dry weight (dw) averaged (least-squared mean±standard error) higher for raptors that generally consume
Authors
Ryan Baurbour, Breanna L. Martinico, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Angus C. Hull, Allen M. Fish, Joshua M. Hull
Sitting ducklings: Timing of hatch, nest departure, and predation risk for dabbling duck broods
For ground‐nesting waterfowl, the timing of egg hatch and duckling departure from the nest may be influenced by the risk of predation at the nest and en route to wetlands and constrained by the time required for ducklings to imprint on the hen and be physically able to leave the nest. We determined the timing of hatch, nest departure, and predation on dabbling duck broods using small video cameras
Authors
Sarah H. Peterson, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Christopher Hartman, Rebecca Croston, Cliff L. Feldheim, Michael L. Casazza
Mercury concentrations vary within and among individual bird feathers: A critical evaluation and guidelines for feather use in mercury monitoring programs
Feathers are widely used to represent mercury contamination in birds. Yet, few recommendations exist that provide guidance for using bird feathers in mercury monitoring programs. We conducted a literature review and 5 experiments to show that mercury concentrations vary substantially within (vane >100% higher than calamus) and among (>1000%) individual feathers from the same bird. We developed a r
Authors
Sarah H. Peterson, Joshua T. Ackerman, Matthew Toney, Mark P. Herzog
Mercury exposure and altered parental nesting behavior in a wild songbird
Methylmercury is a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor and may impair avian reproduction directly through embryotoxicity or by altering parental care behaviors. We studied mercury exposure and incubation behavior of free-living tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in artificial nest boxes. Using small temperature dataloggers, we measured incubation constancy (the proportion of each day the f
Authors
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog
Filter Total Items: 17
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No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 18
Science and Products
Synthesis of maternal transfer of mercury in birds: Implications for altered toxicity risk
Maternal transfer is the predominant route of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure to offspring. We reviewed and synthesized published and unpublished data on maternal transfer of MeHg in birds. Using paired samples of females’ blood (n=564) and their eggs (n=1814) from 26 bird species in 6 taxonomic orders, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate whether maternal transfer of MeHg to eggs differed amo
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, David C. Evers, Daniel A. Cristol, Kevin P. Kenow, Gary Heinz, Raphael A Lavoie, Rebecka Brasso, Mark L. Mallory, Jennifer F Provencher, Birgit M Braune, Angela Matz, Joel A. Schmutz, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Lucas J Savoy, Michael W. Meyer, C. Alex Hartman
Filter Total Items: 200
Synthesis of maternal transfer of mercury in birds: Implications for altered toxicity risk
Maternal transfer is the predominant route of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure to offspring. We reviewed and synthesized published and unpublished data on maternal transfer of MeHg in birds. Using paired samples of females’ blood (n=564) and their eggs (n=1814) from 26 bird species in 6 taxonomic orders, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate whether maternal transfer of MeHg to eggs differed amo
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, David C. Evers, Daniel A. Cristol, Kevin P. Kenow, Gary Heinz, Raphael A Lavoie, Rebecka Brasso, Mark L. Mallory, Jennifer F Provencher, Birgit M Braune, Angela Matz, Joel A. Schmutz, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Lucas J Savoy, Michael W. Meyer, C. Alex Hartman
Methylmercury exposure in wildlife: A review of the ecological and physiological processes affecting contaminant concentrations and their interpretation
Exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) can result in detrimental health effects in wildlife. With advances in ecological indicators and analytical techniques for measurement of MeHg in a variety of tissues, numerous processes have been identified that can influence MeHg concentrations in wildlife. This review presents a synthesis of theoretical principals and applied information for measuring MeHg expos
Authors
John Chételat, Joshua T. Ackerman, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Craig E. Hebert
Wintering in the western subarctic pacific increases mercury contamination of Red-legged Kittiwakes
Marine methylmercury concentrations vary geographically and with depth, exposing organisms to different mercury levels in unique habitats. Red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris), a specialist predator, forage on fish and invertebrates from the mesopelagic zone, a part of the ocean with elevated methylmercury concentrations. We used kittiwakes as bioindicators of MeHg concentrations in remote
Authors
Abram S Fleishman, Rachael Orben, Nobuo Kokubun, Alexis Will, Rosana Paredes, Joshua T. Ackerman, Akinori Takahashi, Alexander Kitaysky, Scott A. Shaffer
Moving at the speed of flight: Dabbling duck-movement rates and the relationship with electronic tracking interval
Context. Effective wildlife management requires information on habitat and resource needs, which can be estimated with movement information and modelling energetics. One necessary component of avian models is flight speeds at multiple temporal scales. Technology has limited the ability to accurately assess flight speeds, leading to estimates of questionable accuracy, many of which have not been up
Authors
Fiona McDuie, Michael L. Casazza, David A. Keiter, Cory T. Overton, Mark P. Herzog, Cliff L. Feldheim, Joshua T. Ackerman
Social attraction used to establish Caspian tern nesting colonies in San Francisco Bay
Conservation of colonial waterbird breeding populations often includes restoring historic nesting habitat or establishing new nesting habitat in protected areas. However, colonization of new or restored nesting habitat may be hindered by the lack of social cues from nesting conspecifics to attract prospecting birds. Social attraction, whereby decoys and colony sound recordings are used to mimic ac
Authors
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Cheryl Strong, David A Trachtenbarg
Current state of knowledge on biological effects from contaminants on arctic wildlife and fish
Since the last Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) effort to review biological effects of the exposure to organohalogen compounds (OHCs) in Arctic biota, there has been a considerable number of new Arctic effect studies. Here, we provide an update on the state of the knowledge of OHC, and also include mercury, exposure and/or associated effects in key Arctic marine and terrestrial ma
Authors
Rune Dietz, Robert J. Letcher, Jean-Pierre Desforges, Igor Eulaers, Christian Sonne, Simon Wilson, Emilie Andersen-Ranberg, Niladri Basu, Benjamin D. Barst, Jan Ove Bustnes, Jenny Bytingsvik, Tomasz M. Ciesielski, Paul E. Drevnick, Geir W. Gabrielsen, Ane Haarr, Ketil Hylland, Bjørn Munro Jenssen, Milton Levin, Melissa A. McKinney, Rasmus Dyrmose Nørregaard, Kathrine E. Pedersen, Jennifer Provencher, Bjarne Styrishave, Sabrina Tartu, Jon Aars, Joshua T. Ackerman, Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid, Rob Barrett, Anders Bignert, Erik W. Born, Marsha Branigan, Birgit Braune, Colleen E. Bryan, Maria Dam, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Marlene S. Evans, Thomas J. Evans, Aaron T. Fisk, Mary Gamberg, Kim Gustavson, C. Alex Hartman, Björn Helander, Mark P. Herzog, Paul F. Hoekstra, Magali Houde, Katrin Hoydal, Allyson K. Jackson, John Kucklick, Elisabeth Lie, Lisa Loseto, Mark L. Mallory, Cecilie Miljeteig, Anders Mosbech, Derek C.G. Muir, Sanna Túni Nielsen, Elizabeth Peacock, Sara Pedro, Sarah H. Peterson, Anuschka Polder, Frank F. Rigét, Pat Roach, Halvor Saunes, Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding, Janneche U. Skaare, Jens Søndergaard, Garry Stenson, Gary Stern, Gabriele Treu, Stacy S. Schuur, Gísli Víkingsson
Wetland management strategy to reduce mercury export in water and bioaccumulation in fish
Wetland environments provide numerous ecosystem services but also facilitate methylmercury (MeHg) production and bioaccumulation. We developed a wetland‐management technique to reduce MeHg concentrations in wetland fish and water. We physically modified seasonal wetlands by constructing open‐ and deep‐water treatment cells at the downstream end of seasonal wetlands to promote naturally occurring M
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, Jacob Fleck, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Mark C. Marvin-DiPasquale, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Mark P. Herzog, Harry L. McQuillen
San Francisco Bay triennial bird egg monitoring program for contaminants, California—2018
The Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay (RMP), administered by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, is a large-scale effort to monitor contaminant trends in water, sediment, fish, and birds throughout San Francisco Bay (San Francisco Estuary Institute, 2016). As part of the RMP and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) long-term Wildlife Contaminants Program, the USGS sa
Authors
Joshua T. Ackerman, C. Alex Hartman, Mark P. Herzog, Matthew Toney
Feather mercury concentrations in North American raptors sampled at migration monitoring stations
We assessed total mercury (THg) concentrations in breast feathers of diurnal North American raptors collected at migration monitoring stations. For 9 species in the Pacific Flyway, we found species and age influenced feather THg concentrations whereas sex did not. Feather THg concentrations µg/g dry weight (dw) averaged (least-squared mean±standard error) higher for raptors that generally consume
Authors
Ryan Baurbour, Breanna L. Martinico, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Angus C. Hull, Allen M. Fish, Joshua M. Hull
Sitting ducklings: Timing of hatch, nest departure, and predation risk for dabbling duck broods
For ground‐nesting waterfowl, the timing of egg hatch and duckling departure from the nest may be influenced by the risk of predation at the nest and en route to wetlands and constrained by the time required for ducklings to imprint on the hen and be physically able to leave the nest. We determined the timing of hatch, nest departure, and predation on dabbling duck broods using small video cameras
Authors
Sarah H. Peterson, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Christopher Hartman, Rebecca Croston, Cliff L. Feldheim, Michael L. Casazza
Mercury concentrations vary within and among individual bird feathers: A critical evaluation and guidelines for feather use in mercury monitoring programs
Feathers are widely used to represent mercury contamination in birds. Yet, few recommendations exist that provide guidance for using bird feathers in mercury monitoring programs. We conducted a literature review and 5 experiments to show that mercury concentrations vary substantially within (vane >100% higher than calamus) and among (>1000%) individual feathers from the same bird. We developed a r
Authors
Sarah H. Peterson, Joshua T. Ackerman, Matthew Toney, Mark P. Herzog
Mercury exposure and altered parental nesting behavior in a wild songbird
Methylmercury is a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor and may impair avian reproduction directly through embryotoxicity or by altering parental care behaviors. We studied mercury exposure and incubation behavior of free-living tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in artificial nest boxes. Using small temperature dataloggers, we measured incubation constancy (the proportion of each day the f
Authors
C. Alex Hartman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog
Filter Total Items: 17
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