Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T11:13:29.137Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Heavy metal distribution in two cetacean species from Rio de Janeiro State, south-eastern Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2008

Carlos Eduardo Veiga de Carvalho ,
Ana Paula M. Di Beneditto ,
Cristina Maria M. Souza ,
Renata M.A. Ramos  and
Carlos Eduardo Rezende
Carlos Eduardo Veiga de Carvalho
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, CBB, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Avenue Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
Ana Paula M. Di Beneditto*
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, CBB, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Avenue Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
Cristina Maria M. Souza
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, CBB, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Avenue Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
Renata M.A. Ramos
Affiliation:
Everest Tecnologia em Serviços Ltda., Avenue Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, 675/1201, Vitória, ES, 29056-900, Brazil
Carlos Eduardo Rezende
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, CBB, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Avenue Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil Collaborating Professor of Environmental Studies in the Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA-US; Research Affiliate of the Programme in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT-US
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Ana Paula M. Di Beneditto, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, CBB, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Avenue Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) concentration were analysed in muscular and liver tissues of two cetacean species, franciscana Pontoporia blainvillei and boto-cinza Sotalia guianensis, in order to compare their contamination levels in northern Rio de Janeiro State, south-eastern Brazil. The cutlassfish, Trichiurus lepturus, which is the preferential prey of the boto-cinza, have also been analysed. Liver tissue always presented higher concentrations when compared with muscle samples for all the studied metals. The boto-cinza showed higher concentrations for all metals in both tissues than in the franciscana, and the only exception was Cd. This result is probably related to the difference in size prey preference of each cetacean. Mercury was the only element that presented significant positive correlations with body length and age in both cetacean species. The cutlassfish showed rising Hg concentrations with weight and total length, suggesting a possible mercury pathway for marine mammals' contamination.

Keywords

marine mammalscutlassfishheavy metalsmercurycontaminationsouth-eastern Brazil
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 88 , Special Issue 6: Marine Mammals , September 2008 , pp. 1117 - 1120
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Amiard, J.C., Amiard-Triquet, C., Berthet, B. and Metayer, C. (1987) Comparative study of the patterns of bioaccumulation of essential (Cu, Zn) and non-essential (Cd, Pb) trace metals in various estuarine and coastal organisms. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 106, 73–89.Google Scholar
André, J.M., Ribyere, F. and Boudou, A. (1990) Mercury contamination levels and distribution in tissues and organs of delphinids (Stenella attenuata) from Eastern Tropical Pacific, in relation to biological and ecological factors. Marine Environmental Research 30, 43–72.Google Scholar
Augier, H., Park, W.K. and Ronneau, C. (1993) Mercury contamination of the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, Meyen from French Mediterranean coasts. Marine Pollution Bulletin 26, 306–310.Google Scholar
Bastos, W.R., Malm, O., Pfeiffer, W.C. and Cleary, D. (1998) Establishment and analytical quality control of laboratories for Hg determination in biological and geological samples in the Amazon, Brazil. Ciência e Cultura 50, 255–260.Google Scholar
Bittar, V.T. (2007) Relações tróficas entre Trichiurus lepturus (Osteichthyes, Perciformes) e Pontoporia blainvillei (Mammalia, Cetacea) na costa norte do Rio de Janeiro Ecologia alimentar de Trichiurus lepturus (Osteichthyes), peixe-espada, na costa norte do Rio de Janeiro. MSc thesis, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil.Google Scholar
Bowles, D. (1999) An overview of the concentrations and effects of metals in cetacean species. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 1, 125–148.Google Scholar
Di Beneditto, A.P.M. and Ramos, R.M.A. (2001) Biology and conservation of the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in north of the Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 3, 185–192.Google Scholar
Di Beneditto, A.P.M. and Ramos, R.M.A. (2004) Biology of the boto-cinza dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis) in south-eastern Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 84, 1245–1250.Google Scholar
International Whaling Commission (1980) Report of the workshop on determining age of odontocete cetaceans. Report of the International Whaling Commission 3, 1–50.Google Scholar
Krause, P., Erbslöh, B., Niedergesäb, R., Pepelnik, R. and Prange, A. (1995) Comparative study of different digestion procedures using supplementary analytical methods for multielement-screening of more than 50 elements in sediments of the river Elbe. Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry 353, 3–11.Google Scholar
 Lacerda, L.D., Carvalho, C.E.V., Rezende, C.E. and Pfeiffer, W.C. (1993) Mercury in sediments from the Paraíba do Sul River continental shelf, SE Brazil. Marine Pollution Bulletin 26, 220–222.Google Scholar
Lacerda, L.D. and Salomons, W. (1998). Mercury from gold and silver mining: a chemical time bomb? Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marcovecchio, J.E., Gerpe, M.S., Bastida, R.O., Rodrigues, D.H. and Morón, S.G. (1994) Environmental contamination and marine mammals in coastal waters of Argentina: an overview. Science of the Total Environment 154, 141–151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Monteiro-Neto, C., Italvo, R.V. and Moraes, L.E.S. (2003) Concentrations of heavy metals in Sotalia fluviatilis (Cetacea: Delphinidae) off the coast of Ceará, Northeast Brazil. Environmental Pollution 123, 319–324.Google Scholar
Muir, D.C.G., Wagemann, R., Grift, N.P., Norstrom, R.J., Simon, M. and Lien, J. (1988) Organochlorine chemical and heavy metal contaminants in white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) and pilot whale (Globicephala melaena) from the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 17, 613–629.Google Scholar
Primo, W.S., Carvalho, C.E.V., Calasans, C.V.C. and Suzuki, M.S. (2004) Mercury and organic carbon distribution in six lakes from the North of Rio de Janeiro State. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 47, 139–145.Google Scholar
Ramos, R.M.A., Di Beneditto, A.P.M. and Lima, N.R.W. (2000) Growth parameters of Pontoporia blainvillei and Sotalia fluviatilis (Cetacea) in northern Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Aquatic Mammals 26, 65–75.Google Scholar
Rebelo, M.F., Di Beneditto, A.P.M., Pinto, F.N., Malm, O. and Ramos, R.M.A. (1999) Concentração de metais pesados em golfinhos da costa norte do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. In Resúmenes del VIII Congreso Latinamericano de Ciencias del Mar, Trujillo, Perú17–21 October 1999, pp. 866–867.Google Scholar