Poisoned chalice: Use of transformed landscapes associated with increased persistent organic pollutant concentrations and potential immune effects for an adaptable carnivore

Leighton, Gabriella R. M.; Bishop, Jacqueline M.; Camarero, Pablo R.; Mateo, Rafael; O’Riain, M. Justin; Serieys, Laurel E. K.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153581

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…Frontiers in Environmental Science frontiersin.org tested. The OCP contamination pattern found in wild leopards were similar to that found in wild lions, spotted hyenas (Malarvannan et al, 2020) and caracal (Leighton et al, 2022) in South Africa. The only group in which ΣDDTs was not the main contributing compound was in captive males, where like reports from brown bears and grey wolves in Croatia (Romanić et al, 2015), ΣHCHs were the main compounds.…”

Section: Figuresupporting

confidence: 76%

“…The only group in which ΣDDTs was not the main contributing compound was in captive males, where like reports from brown bears and grey wolves in Croatia (Romanić et al, 2015), ΣHCHs were the main compounds. ΣDDTs concentrations from leopards (0.22 ng/ml) were lower than that of domestic sled dogs (29 ng/ml) from Greenland (Sonne, 2010), wild spotted hyenas (1.6 ng/ml) from South Africa (Malarvannan et al, 2020) and wild caracal (2.5 ng/ml) from South Africa (Leighton et al, 2022). The ΣDDTs concentrations in leopards were however similar to that of wild lions (0.27 ng/ ml) from South Africa (Malarvannan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 76%

“…Traces of p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDD were detected in wild and captive leopards from this study. Comparatively higher concentrations of p,p'-DDE have been reported from the blood of other terrestrial mammalian carnivores such as red foxes, wolverines and Eurasian and Iberian lynxes (Polder et al, 2009;Mateo et al, 2012), lions, spotted hyenas and cheetahs (Malarvannan et al, 2020) and caracal (Leighton et al, 2022). Leighton et al (2022) and Malarvannan et al (2020) also found traces of p,p'-DDT in wild lions, spotted hyenas and caracal from South Africa, respectively and captive lions and cheetahs in Belgium.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 91%

“…The ΣDDTs concentrations in leopards were however similar to that of wild lions (0.27 ng/ ml) from South Africa (Malarvannan et al, 2020). Other mammals in which ΣDDTs was the main contributing compound in plasma or blood samples include red foxes and wolverines from Sweden (Polder et al, 2009), Eurasian lynxes from Norway (Polder et al, 2009), masked palm civets from Japan (Yamamoto et al, 2012), wild lions and hyenas from South Africa (Malarvannan et al, 2020) and caracal from South Africa (Leighton et al, 2022). Traces of p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDD were detected in wild and captive leopards from this study.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 91%

“…Very few reports on mammalian apex predators from Africa exist. Cockroft et al (1989) determined the concentrations of PCBs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and dieldrin in blubber samples of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) along the east coast of South Africa and recently Malarvannan et al (2020) published the first record of POPs in serum of lion (Panthera leo), hyena (Crocuta crocuta) and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) from conservation areas in South Africa and the Antwerp Zoological Gardens in Belgium, while Leighton et al (2022) recorded organochlorines in plasma and adipose tissue of caracal (Caracal caracal) from peri-urban areas in the Western Cape peninsula.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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First record of organochlorine pesticides in blood of wild and captive African leopards, Panthera pardus pardus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Smit

Wolmarans

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Compared to aquatic ecosystems, limited information exists on organochlorine accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems, and this is specifically true for terrestrial carnivores that have received limited attention in terms of studies on pollutant bioaccumulation. The African Leopard, Panthera pardus pardus (Linnaeus, 1758), is a popular focal species for research by ethologists and ecologists, but a noticeable knowledge gap exists with regards to toxicological aspects. To address this gap, the aim of this study was to determine baseline organochlorine pesticide (OCP) concentrations in blood of live wild and captive leopards in South Africa, and to explore the relationship between OCP levels and different conservation management strategies. Peripheral blood samples of seven captive and seven wild leopards, representing regular and melanistic individuals within the captive population, were collected while under sedation. The ΣOCP concentrations in blood serum were detected by means of GC-ECD. Statistical relationships among pesticide content in leopards from three geographical areas, different sexes, age groups and conservation status were examined. Captive leopards from this study had a slightly higher mean ΣOCP concentration (901 pg/ml) than wild leopards (768 pg/ml), and captive females had lower mean levels of ΣOCPs (797 pg/ml) than males (1,058 pg/ml). OCPs accumulated in the following order DDTs (27%) > HCHs (21%) > Heptachlors (15%) > CHLs (15%) > Drins (14%) > HCB (8%). Differences in OCP composition profiles of resampled captive individuals were also found. The sources of OCPs in the leopards can be attributed to the historic and current use of, e.g., DDT and HCHs, for malaria vector control and in insecticides/avicides in South Africa. For the captive leopards in this study the main source is possibly contaminated chicken that formed the major portion of their diet. This is the first report on OCP concentrations from leopards in Africa and highlights the need for this parameter to be considered in terms of the conservation management of healthy populations.

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Section: Figuresupporting

confidence: 76%