Mercury causes homosexuality in male ibises

The mercury is starting to affect some of this birds' views by causing males to pair up with other males.

American white ibises (Eudocimus albus) from south Florida that consumed methylmercury (MeHg), the most toxic and easily absorbed form of mercury found in the environment, were more likely to engage in same-sex pairings — a phenomenon unknown in wild populations of this species with no exposure to the pollutant.

Peter Frederick, an ecologist at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and his colleagues collected 160 white ibis nestlings from breeding colonies in south Florida in 2005, and split them into four groups, each composed of 20 males and 20 females. Once the birds were 90 days old, the researchers began adding methylmercury to their feed. Three of the groups were given low, medium or high doses of mercury based on levels ranging from 0.05–0.3 parts per million recorded in the wild, while the fourth group were given no mercury. Over the next three years, the researchers measured mercury levels in the feathers and blood of the ibises, and observed their mating behaviour. - http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101201/full/news.2010.641.html

What I understand from this information is that mercury is affecting this birds, they are consuming methylmercury (MeHg), and it is the most toxic and easily absorbed form of mercury found in the environmen. So the male birds are pairing up with other male birds, and that may affect the reproduction of this birds. For many people this may not be something that affect them, but it really does because if this birds stop reproducing then their predators won't have something to eat and they will also die, etc. etc. the food chain will change for bad and that would affect us!