Trace elements in different species of cetacean from Rio de Janeiro coast

Abstract

Neste estudo avaliou-se a influência de alguns parâmetros ecológicos e biológicos sobre a acumulação dos elementos-traço (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Se e Ag) no fígado de três espécies de cetáceos, sendo duas de hábito costeiro (Pontoporia blainvillei e Sotalia guianensis) e uma de hábito oceânico (Stenella frontalis), que foram acidentalmente capturados na costa norte do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Diferenças inter-espécies foram observadas no padrão de acumulação dos elementos-traço, Cd e Pb (5,12 ± 0,74 µg g -1 e 21,25 ± 1,35 µg g -1 , respectivamente). Entretanto, as três espécies de cetáceo, S. guianensis, P. blainvillei e S. frontalis apresentaram concentrações hepáticas de As, Cu e Ag similares. O sexo dos indivíduos não influiu na bioacumulação dos elementos. O comprimento total influenciou na acumulação dos elementos-traço no fígado de acordo com a espécie de cetáceo. S. guianensis, que co-habita o mesmo ambiente que a espécie P. blainvillei, apresentou uma diferença significativa na concentração hepática de selênio (20,70 ± 32,22 µg g -1 e 3,24 ± 2,02 µg g -1 , respectivamente). A partir dessas observações pode-se concluir que condições ambientais e parâmetros biológicos, tais como comprimento total e principalmente a preferência alimentar, influenciaram significativamente a acumulação de elementos traço no fígado dessas espécies de cetáceos.The present work tested whether ecological and biological parameters have an influence on the accumulation of trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Se and Ag) by the liver of three cetaceans species: two species of coastal habit (Pontoporia blainvillei and Sotalia guianensis) and one of oceanic habit (Stenella frontalis), that were incidentally caught in fishing nets along the north of Rio de Janeiro coast. Inter-species difference was observed on the accumulation of Cd and Pb (5.12 ± 0.74 µg g -1 and 21.25 ± 1.35 µg g -1 , respectively). However, the three cetacean species, S. guianensis, P. blainvillei and S. frontalis presented similar hepatic concentrations of As, Cu and Ag. No gender differences were found on the bioaccumulation of trace elements. Hepatic trace element accumulation was influenced by body length, according to the cetacean species. S. guianensis, which co-habits the same coastal marine environment that P. blainvillei species, presented a significant difference between hepatic selenium concentration (20.70 ± 32.22 µg g -1 and 3.24 ± 2.02 µg g -1 , respectively). Based on these results, it is possible to conclude that, not only the different environmental conditions, but also total length and mainly the feeding habit influenced the accumulation of trace elements by the liver of these cetacean species.

Cadmium concentrations in Sotalia guianensis (Van Bénéden, 1864) in a tropical estuary, southeast of Brazil.

“…Values lower than 0.1µg.g -1 of cadmium in Guiana dolphin tissues have been previously reported by Lailson-Brito et al (2000), Monteiro-Neto et al (2003), Kunito et al (2004), Dorneles et al (2007a), Seixas et al (2009) and Korn et al (2010).…”

“…Even so, a comparison with literature becomes indispensable due to the limited bibliography that generally involves a low number of analysed individuals (Siciliano et al, 2005;Seixas et al, 2009).…”

“…Additionally, metals concentrations between studies can vary depending on various factors that affect the accumulation of metals in aquatic mammals (Seixas et al, 2009;Korn et al, 2010). The studied element and its availability in the environment, as well as the habit and feeding habits of the specie, play a fundamental role in this accumulation (André, 1997;Das et al, 2003).…”

Biomagnificación de mercurio en la cadena trófica del Delfín Moteado del Atlántico (Stenella frontalis), usando el isótopo estable de nitrógeno como marcador ecológico

“…Los datos relativos sobre la acumulación de metales en el tejido hepático del Delfín Moteado del Atlántico son escasos y fragmentados , Seixas et al 2009, Lemos et al 2013, y la presente investigación contribuye con uno de los primeros resultados de Hg en su tejido muscular (Fielding & Evans 2014).…”

Evaluation of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for determining Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Se and Zn in bovine semen samples using a simple sample dilution method

“…8,[10][11][12][13][14] The semen analysis is also useful in the evaluation of the exposure to toxic metals in the environment. 1,6 The analysis of trace elements in biological samples is predominantly performed using atomic spectrometry techniques, such as atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) 24 and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). [25][26][27][28][29] ICP-MS offers several advantages, including simultaneous multielement measurement capability coupled with very low limits of detection, a wider linear dynamic range, allowing the determination of major and trace elements at the same sample injection and isotopic information.…”