Mercury concentrations in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Patterns of spatial and temporal distribution

Adam M Schaefer; Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb; Patricia A Fair; Hui-Chen W Stavros; Marilyn Mazzoil; Gregory D Bossart; John S Reif

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.05.007

Mercury concentrations in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Patterns of spatial and temporal distribution

Mar Pollut Bull. 2015 Aug 15;97(1-2):544-547. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.05.007. Epub 2015 Jun 26.

Authors

Adam M Schaefer¹, Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb², Patricia A Fair³, Hui-Chen W Stavros⁴, Marilyn Mazzoil², Gregory D Bossart⁵, John S Reif⁶

Affiliations

¹ Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, United States. Electronic address: aschaef3@fau.edu.
² Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, United States.
³ Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, NOS, NOAA, 219 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29142, United States.
⁴ Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, NOS, NOAA, 219 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29142, United States; O2Si Smart Solutions, 2030 Savage Road, Charleston, SC 29407, United States.
⁵ Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, Atlanta, GA 30313, United States; University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, 1600 10th Ave, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
⁶ Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States.

PMID: 26119626
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.05.007

Abstract

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, FL (IRL) have tissue mercury concentrations among the highest reported worldwide. Analysis of total mercury (THg) concentrations in blood collected between 2003 and 2012 showed a significant linear decrease over time (p=0.04). Significant differences in the spatial distribution of THg in resident IRL dolphins were also observed with a general gradient in concentration from north to south. Evaluation of local biogeochemistry and accumulation of mercury in prey species is needed to better understand factors influencing the distribution of Hg in the apex predator. Analyses of temporal and spatial patterns of exposure to THg in this sentinel species may have implications for both ecosystem and public health in the region.

Keywords: Bottlenose dolphins; Florida; Indian River Lagoon; Mercury.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / blood*
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Female
Florida
Male
Mercury / blood*
Rivers / chemistry*
Spatial Analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical / blood*

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Mercury