Mercury accumulation in mallards fed methylmercury with or without added DDE

Adult female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed a control diet or diets containing 1 ppm methylmercury chloride, 5 ppm methylmercury chloride, 1 ppm methylmercury chloride plus 5 ppm DDE, or 5 ppm methylmercury chloride plus 5 ppm DDE. The presence of DDE in the diet did not affect retention of mercury in breast muscle or eggs. There was a good correlation between the levels of mercury in the breast muscle of females and their eggs, and this correlation was unaffected by the presence of DDE in the diet. This correlation suggests that one could predict mercury levels in female mallards in the field when only eggs have been collected and vice versa.