Trace Element Accumulation in Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys Imbricata) and Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas) From Yaeyama Islands, Japan

Abstract

Concentrations of 18 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Ba, Hg, Tl, and Pb) were determined in the liver, kidney, and muscle of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa, Japan. Accumulation features of trace elements in the three tissues were similar between green and hawksbill turtles. No gender differences in trace element accumulation in liver and kidney were found for most of the elements. Significant growth-dependent variations were found in concentrations of some elements in tissues of green and hawksbill turtles. Significant negative correlations (p < 0.05) were found between standard carapace length (SCL) and the concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Se in the kidney and V in muscle of green turtles and Mn in the liver, Rb and Ag in kidney, and Hg in muscle of hawksbill turtles. Concentrations of Sr, Mo, Ag, Sb, and Tl in the liver, Sb in kidney, and Sb and Ba in muscle of green turtles and Se and Hg in the liver and Co, Se, and Hg in kidney of hawksbill turtles increased with an increase in SCL (p < 0.05). Green and hawksbill turtles accumulated extremely high concentrations of Cu in the liver and Cd in kidney, whereas the levels of Hg in liver were low in comparison with those of other higher-trophic-level marine animals. High accumulation of Ag in the liver of green turtles was also observed. To evaluate the trophic transfer of trace elements, concentrations of trace elements were determined in stomach contents of green and hawksbill turtles. A remarkably high trophic transfer coefficient was found for Ag and Cd in green turtles and for Cd and Hg in hawksbill turtles.

The Foragining Ecology of the Green Turtle in the Baja California Peninsula: Health Issues

“…In agreement with these findings, we observed that Cadmium concentrations in green turtle liver were similar to their food and that the Cu concentration in sea turtle liver was greater than in the stomach content. Similar relationships have been observed in green turtles from Japan (Anan et al, 2001). However, contrary to the findings of Maffucci et al, (2005), Zinc concentrations in the livers and kidneys of green turtles in our study were not significantly different from their stomach contents.…”

“…The processes controlling the concentration and distribution of metals in coastal environments and their consequences in the species health are poorly understood. It is generally assumed that diet is the main source of metals to sea turtles (Caurant et al, 1999;Anan et al, 2001), but little is known of the process of metal accumulation in these species because data on metal residues in most components of sea turtles' diet has been lacking. As adults, green turtles forage largely on marine algae and seagrasses with variation in the diet due to the relative availability of food types over geographic and temporal scales (Garnett et al, 1985;Brand-Gardner et al, 1999;Seminoff et al, 2002).…”

“…Although metal concentrations vary greatly by region and tissue type, green turtles (Chelonia mydas) have been found to have exceptionally high kidney cadmium concentrations. Elevated Cadmium levels have been measured in green turtles from around the world including Japan (Sakai et al, 2000;Anan et al, 2001), China (Lam et al, 2004), Europe (Caurant et al, 1999), Australia (Gordon et al, 1998) and the Arabian Sea (Bicho et al, 2006). Gordon et al (1998) found that Cadmium concentrations in green turtles from Australia were up to three times higher than the levels reported in commercial seafood products.…”

Análises qualitativas de metais em casca de ovos de Eretmochelys imbricata Linnaeus (1766) (Testudines, Cheloniidae)

“…Em seus estudos concluiram que os animais carnívoros apresentam os níveis de metais comparativamente mais elevados que os herbívoros, corroborando com o trabalho de Sakai et al, (2000) em espécies de tartarugas marinhas Caretta caretta (carnívora) e Chelonia mydas (herbívora), avaliando metais em tecidos e diversos órgãos. Porém Anan et al (2001), concluíram que há similaridade entre os níveis de metais analisados nos rins, fígado e músculos de C. mydas e de E. imbricata, uma espécie herbívora e outra carnívora, respectivamente.A espécie E. imbricatas e se alimenta principalmente de crustáceos, moluscos,ouriços, esponjas e algas (MARCOVALDI et al, 2011) e é conhecido que organismos filtradores, como os moluscos, podem ser uma importante fonte de metais para outros organismos (GONÇALVES, FREIRE, NACIMENTO NETO, 2007;GALVÃO et al, 2009), e possivelmente a presença de Hg e Ba nas cascas dos ovos observados no presente estudo tenham sido transferidos pela fêmea depositante, ao qual adquiriram tais contaminantes por via alimentar. Sakai et al (1995), investigando os metais em diferentes tecidos de tartarugas marinhas da espécie C. caretta, concluíram que a utilização de ovos como uma ferramenta para o monitoramento pode ser utilizada, e acrescentam que os ovos que não conseguem desenvolver na fase inicial, permanecem no ninho, e podem ser mais adequadamente utilizados para o monitoramento de metais.…”

Total and subcellular distribution of trace elements in the liver of a mother–fetus pair of Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli)

“…Matrix effects and instrumental drift of the ICP-MS were corrected by the element indium (In) as an internal standard (Anan et al, 2001). Se was assayed by a hydride generation AAS (HG-AAS) (Shimadzu, HVG-1 Hydride System).…”