Use of carapace for monitoring mercury in two species of sea turtles in northeast of Brazil

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32360/acmar.v51i1.32973

Keywords:

Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, mercury, biomonitoring, carapace.

Abstract

This work compares the concentrations of Hg in two species of sea turtles, Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas, found in the coastal zone of northeastern Brazil using carapace fragments as a non-invasive method for monitoring environmental levels of Hg. The results show no significant difference between the Hg concentrations in the two species. However, the comparison between C. caretta (adults) and C. mydas (juveniles and subadult) allowed us to observe that diet exerts influence on the concentration of Hg in these organisms, making relevant in future studies, the quantification of Hg in both, the species and its food source.
 

References

Bezerra, M.F., Lacerda, L.D., Costa, B.G.B., Lima, E.H.S.M. Mercury in the sea turtle Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1958) from Ceara coast, NE Brazil. An. Acad. Bras. Cienc. 84, 123–128, 2012.

Bezerra, M.F., Lacerda, L.D., Rezende, C.E., Franco, M.A.L., Almeida, M.G., Macêdo, G.R., Pires, T.T., Rostán, G., Lopez, G.G. Food preferences and Hg distribution in Chelonia mydas assessed by stable isotopes. Environ. Pollut. 206, 236–246, 2015.

Day, R.D., Christopher, S.J., Becker, P.R., Whitaker, D.W. Monitoring mercury in the loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta. Environ. Sci. Technol. 39, 437–446, 2005.

Dodd, K.C. Synopsis of the biological data on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus 1758), US Fish and Wildlife Service, 1988.

de Pádua Almeida, A., Santos, A. J. B., Thomé, J. C. A., Belini, C., Baptistotte, C., Marcovaldi, M. Â. & Lopez, M. (2011). Avaliação do estado de conservação da tartaruga marinha Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) no Brasil. Biodiversidade Brasileira, (1).

dos Santos, A. S., Soares, L., Marcovaldi, M. Â., da Silveira Monteiro, D., Giffoni, B., & de Pádua Almeida, A. Avaliação do estado de conservação da tartaruga marinha Caretta caretta Linnaeus, 1758 no Brasil. Biodiversidade Brasileira, (1), 2011.

Gray, J.S. Biomagnification in marine systems: The perspective of an ecologist. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 45, 46–52, 2002.

Hong, Y. S., Kim, Y. M., & Lee, K. E. Methylmercury exposure and health effects. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, 45(6), 353, 2012.

Mackay, D., Fraser. Bioaccumulation of persistent organic chemicals: mechanisms and models 110, 375–391, 2000.

Marcovaldi, M.Â., Lopez, G.G., Soares, L.S., Lima, E.H.S.M., Thomé, J.C.A., Almeida, A.P. Satellite-tracking of female loggerhead turtles highlights fidelity behavior in northeastern Brazil. Endanger. Species Res. 12, 263–272, 2010.

Marins, R. V., Paula Filho, F. J. D., Maia, S. R. R., Lacerda, L. D. D., & Marques, W. S. Total mercury distribution as a proxy of urban and industrial pollution along the Brazilian coast. Química Nova, 27(5), 763-770, 2004.

Mason, R. P., Fitzgerald, W. F., & Morel, F. M. The biogeochemical cycling of elemental mercury: anthropogenic influences. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 58(15), 3191-3198, 1994.

Menezes, M. F. As tartarugas marinhas do Brasil. Arquivos de Ciências do Mar, 12(1), 17-20, 1972.

Rocha, G. O., Guarieiro, A. L., de Andrade, J. B., Eça, G. F., Aragão, N. M., Aguiar, R. M. & Hatje, V. Contamination at Todos os Santos Bay [Contaminação na Baía de Todos os Santos], 2012.

Sakai, H., Saeki, K., Ichihashi, H., Suganuma, H., Tanabe, S., Tatsukawa, R. Species-specific distribution of heavy metals in tissues and organs of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) from Japanese coastal waters. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 40, 701–709, 2000.

Schneider, L., Maher, W., Green, A., Vogt, R.C. Mercury contamination in reptiles: an emerging problem with consequences for wild life and human health. Mercury: Sources Aplications and Health Impacts. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Hauppauge, New York, USA, 173-232, 2013.

Toni, M., Dalla Valle, L., Alibardi, L. Hard (beta-) keratins in the epidermis of reptiles: Composition, sequence, and molecular organization. J. Proteome Res. 6, 3377–3392, 2007.

UNEP. Global Mercury Assessment 2013: Sources, Emissions, Releases, and Environmental Transport. Unep 42, 2013.

Published

2018-09-13

Issue

Section

Artigos originais