Spatial variation of mercury bioaccumulation in bats of Canada linked to atmospheric mercury deposition.

Autor: Chételat J; Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, Canada. Electronic address: john.chetelat@canada.ca., Hickey MBC; River Institute, Cornwall, Ontario K6H 4Z1, Canada., Poulain AJ; Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada., Dastoor A; Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, Quebec H9P 1J3, Canada., Ryjkov A; Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, Quebec H9P 1J3, Canada., McAlpine D; New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, New Brunswick E2K 1E5, Canada., Vanderwolf K; New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, New Brunswick E2K 1E5, Canada; Canadian Wildlife Federation, Kanata, Ontario K2M 2W1, Canada., Jung TS; Yukon Department of Environment, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory Y1A 2C6, Canada., Hale L; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8M5, Canada., Cooke ELL; Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, Canada., Hobson D; Alberta Environment and Parks, Edson, Alberta T7E 1T2, Canada., Jonasson K; Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada., Kaupas L; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada., McCarthy S; Wildlife Division, Fisheries and Land Resources, Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador A0P 1E0, Canada., McClelland C; Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, Canada., Morningstar D; Myotistar, Cambridge, Ontario N3C 0B4, Canada., Norquay KJO; Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2G3, Canada., Novy R; Golder Associates Ltd., Calgary, Alberta T2A 7W5, Canada., Player D; Matrix Solutions Inc., Calgary, Alberta T2R 0K1, Canada., Redford T; Animal Health Centre, BC Ministry of Agriculture, Abbotsford, British Columbia V3G 2M3, Canada., Simard A; Direction de l'expertise sur la faune terrestre, l'herpétofaune et l'avifaune, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec, Quebec G1S 4X4, Canada., Stamler S; Alberta Environment and Parks, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 4P2, Canada., Webber QMR; Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2G3, Canada., Yumvihoze E; Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada., Zanuttig M; Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3, Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2018 Jun 01; Vol. 626, pp. 668-677. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Feb 19.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.044
Abstrakt: Wildlife are exposed to neurotoxic mercury at locations distant from anthropogenic emission sources because of long-range atmospheric transport of this metal. In this study, mercury bioaccumulation in insectivorous bat species (Mammalia: Chiroptera) was investigated on a broad geographic scale in Canada. Fur was analyzed (n=1178) for total mercury from 43 locations spanning 20° latitude and 77° longitude. Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in fur were positively correlated with concentrations in internal tissues (brain, liver, kidney) for a small subset (n=21) of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), validating the use of fur to indicate internal mercury exposure. Brain methylmercury concentrations were approximately 10% of total mercury concentrations in fur. Three bat species were mainly collected (little brown bats, big brown bats, and northern long-eared bats [M. septentrionalis]), with little brown bats having lower total mercury concentrations in their fur than the other two species at sites where both species were sampled. On average, juvenile bats had lower total mercury concentrations than adults but no differences were found between males and females of a species. Combining our dataset with previously published data for eastern Canada, median total mercury concentrations in fur of little brown bats ranged from 0.88-12.78μg/g among 11 provinces and territories. Highest concentrations were found in eastern Canada where bats are most endangered from introduced disease. Model estimates of atmospheric mercury deposition indicated that eastern Canada was exposed to greater mercury deposition than central and western sites. Further, mean total mercury concentrations in fur of adult little brown bats were positively correlated with site-specific estimates of atmospheric mercury deposition. This study provides the largest geographic coverage of mercury measurements in bats to date and indicates that atmospheric mercury deposition is important in determining spatial patterns of mercury accumulation in a mammalian species.
(Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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