Ecotoxicoparasitology of mercury and trace elements in semi-aquatic mammals and their endoparasite communities.

Autor: Borchert EJ; University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA; University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, GA 30602, USA. Electronic address: ejborchert@gmail.com., Leaphart JC; University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA; University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, GA 30602, USA., Bryan AL Jr; University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA., Beasley JC; University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA; University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2019 Aug 20; Vol. 679, pp. 307-316. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Apr 24.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.04.326
Abstrakt: Many contaminants persist in the environment for decades or more, influencing ecosystem health. Environmental contamination with mercury (Hg) is a particular concern due to its ability to biomagnify in food webs and its lethal and sub-lethal effects in exposed organisms. Despite the known impacts of anthropogenic contamination, there remains a need for data on wildlife exposure to Hg and other contaminants, and the effects of exposure on wildlife health. The objectives of this study were to: 1) quantify differences in concentrations of mercury and other trace elements among three sympatric semiaquatic mammals of different assumed trophic position: North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), raccoon (Procyon lotor), and North American beaver (Castor canadensis), 2) compare trace element concentrations between animals captured on the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, USA, where known inputs of Hg and other trace elements have occurred, and reference sites in South Carolina (SC) and Georgia (GA), USA, and 3) investigate the relationship between host trace element concentrations and endoparasite communities. River otters, beavers, and raccoons were sampled from the SRS, SC, and GA to quantify trace element concentrations in liver tissue and quantify endoparasite communities. Both species and sampling location were important factors determining hepatic trace element concentration, however, there was no consistent trend of elevated trace element concentrations among animals sampled on the SRS. Only Hg demonstrated biomagnification based on assumed trophic position, with river otters having the highest Hg concentrations among the sampled species. Additionally, the results suggest a possible relationship between host hepatic mercury concentration and endoparasite abundance, while hepatic selenium concentration may be related to endoparasite diversity. These findings further demonstrate how wildlife can accumulate anthropogenic contamination, although future research is needed to determine the mechanisms contributing to patterns observed between endoparasite communities and the contaminant concentrations of their mammalian hosts.
(Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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