Trace elements in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Eastern Mediterranean: A 10-years perspective

Efrat Shoham-Frider; Oz Goffman; Yehudit Harlavan; Nurit Kress; Danny Morick; Mia Roditi-Elasar; Edna Shefer; Dan Kerem

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.05.021

Trace elements in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Eastern Mediterranean: A 10-years perspective

Mar Pollut Bull. 2016 Aug 15;109(1):624-632. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.05.021. Epub 2016 May 19.

Authors

Efrat Shoham-Frider¹, Oz Goffman², Yehudit Harlavan³, Nurit Kress⁴, Danny Morick⁵, Mia Roditi-Elasar⁶, Edna Shefer⁷, Dan Kerem⁸

Affiliations

¹ Israel Oceanography and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel-Shikmona, P.O. Box 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel. Electronic address: efrat@ocean.org.il.
² Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel. Electronic address: goffman@research.haifa.ac.il.
³ Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhe Israel St., Jerusalem 95501, Israel. Electronic address: y.harlavan@gsi.gov.il.
⁴ Israel Oceanography and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel-Shikmona, P.O. Box 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel. Electronic address: nurit@ocean.org.il.
⁵ Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel; Department of Pathology, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. Electronic address: dannymorick@gmail.com.
⁶ Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel. Electronic address: elasar.ma@gmail.com.
⁷ Israel Oceanography and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Tel-Shikmona, P.O. Box 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel. Electronic address: edna@ocean.org.il.
⁸ Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and Department for Maritime Civilizations, The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel. Electronic address: dankerem@research.haifa.ac.il.

PMID: 27210566
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.05.021

Abstract

Concentrations of Hg, Se, Cd, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn and As, in kidney, liver, muscle and blubber from 7 specimens of Stenella coeruleoalba, stranded along the Israeli Mediterranean coast (IMC) from 2006 to 2011 (2011-series) were determined and compared to previous data on S. coeruleoalba from the IMC (2001-series). No differences were observed in essential and toxic elements concentrations, between the two series, except for hepatic Mn which was higher in the latter. Hg/Se molar ratios in blubber, kidney and liver increased linearly with log Hg concentrations, while muscle was more heterogenic in this respect. Means (±SD) of hepatic Hg concentrations (134±89 and 181±200mgkg(-1), from the 2011 and 2001 series, respectively) were similar to that found in 2007-2009 specimens from Spain, possibly reflecting the relatively high natural background levels of mercury in the Mediterranean Sea.

Keywords: As; Hg/Se molar ratio; Mediterranean; S. coeruleoalba; Time-trend; Trace elements.

MeSH terms

Adipose Tissue / chemistry
Animals
Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Female
Kidney / chemistry
Liver / chemistry
Male
Mediterranean Sea
Mercury / analysis
Mercury / pharmacokinetics
Metals, Heavy / analysis*
Metals, Heavy / pharmacokinetics
Selenium / analysis
Selenium / pharmacokinetics
Spain
Stenella / metabolism*
Trace Elements / analysis*
Trace Elements / pharmacokinetics
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / pharmacokinetics

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Trace Elements
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Mercury
Selenium