scholarly journals Marine micronutrient vectors: seabirds, marine mammals and fishes egest high concentrations of bioactive metals in the subantarctic island ecosystem

2017 ◽  
Vol 563 ◽  
pp. 13-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
SR Wing ◽  
LC Wing ◽  
OA Shatova ◽  
R Van Hale
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Subantarctic Island ◽  
Island Ecosystem ◽  
High Concentrations

scholarly journals High Concentrations of Unidentified Extractable Organofluorine observed in Blubber from a Greenland Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Schultes ◽  
Carmen van Noordenburg ◽  
Kyra Spaan ◽  
Merle Plassmann ◽  
Malene Simon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Killer Whale ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Peak Areas ◽  
Polyfluoroalkyl Substances ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Protein Rich ◽  
Organic Fluorine

It is generally accepted that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) occur primarily in protein-rich tissues such as blood and liver, but few studies have examined the occurrence of PFASs (in particular emerging PFASs), in lipid-rich tissues such as blubber. Here we report the distribution of 24 PFASs, total fluorine (TF) and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) in eight different tissues of a killer whale (<i>Orcinus orca</i>) from East Greenland. The sum of target PFAS concentrations was highest in liver (352 ng/g ww) and decreased in the order blood > kidney ≈ lung ≈ ovary > skin ≈ muscle ≈ blubber. Most of the EOF was made up of known PFASs in all tissues except blubber, which displayed the highest concentration of EOF, almost none of which was attributed to targeted PFASs. Suspect screening using high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed the presence of additional PFASs but the magnitude of peak areas could not explain the high concentrations of EOF in blubber. While the identity of this unknown organofluorine and its pervasiveness in marine mammals requires further investigation, this work suggests that exposure of killer whales to organofluorine substances may be underestimated by determination of legacy PFASs exclusively in liver tissues.

Contamination of Chlorinated Organic Substances in the Ocean Ecosystem

1992 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Tatsukawa
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Organic Substances ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Contaminant Sources ◽  
Chlorinated Organic ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Ocean Ecosystem ◽  
Small Capacity ◽  
Global Contamination

Persistent organochlorines such as PCBs, DDTs and HCHs are ubiquitous contaminants found in seas and oceans worldwide. They are transferred from terrestrial contaminant sources to open ocean through atmosphere and ultimately deposit into the oceanic waters. The tropical regions are likely to contribute greatly to the global contamination of some organochlorines in recent years. The contaminants in water phase are taken into ecosystems following the prey-predator relationship in the food-chain. In this context, cetaceans like dolphins, porpoises and whales are recognized as one of the animal groups most at risk from persistent organochlorines in the environment. They accumulate extremely high concentrations of organochlorines through feeding, and transfer large quantities to offspring during lactation. Unfortunately, they have a small capacity to degrade these contaminants. It may be concluded that marine mammals, particularly cetaceans, are among the most vulnerable organisms to long-term toxicity of hazardous man-made chenicals.

scholarly journals DDT in Crimea coastal waters and blubber of Black Sea cetaceans

2021 ◽  
Vol 937 (2) ◽  
pp. 022019
Author(s):  
L Malakhova ◽  
V Lobko ◽  
I Logominova ◽  
T Malakhova ◽  
A Murashova
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphin ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Downward Trend ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Modern Period ◽  
Maximum Value ◽  
Black Sea Coast ◽  
Significant Downward Trend ◽  
High Concentrations

Abstract This research is based on the multi-year data on the distribution of organochlorine pesticides of the DDT group in the water of the coastal Black Sea areas of Crimea, obtained in expeditions of the “Professor Vodyanitsky” research vessel from 1999 to 2020. Study of content of DDT and its metabolites (DDTs) in the blubber of three species of Black Sea cetaceans that were astrand on the Black Sea coast from the 1980s to the 2020s was grounded on own and literature data. While there was an overall significant variability in ∑DDT content during the study period, there was a significant downward trend in their concentrations in the water of coastal areas of Crimea. Despite the significantly decreased DDTs pollution of the habitat of the Black Sea marine mammals over the last 10 years, high concentrations of DDTs were accumulated in their blubber, the maximum value of the sum of DDTs concentrations reached (163 µg/g of lipids) in the blubber of adult depleted bottlenose dolphin. The minimum concentrations were determined in the blubber of a newborn harbour porpoise female. In blubber samples up to 70% was of DDE, DDD - from 21 to 24%, and the concentration of the initial DDT varied from 6 to 14%. Based on the analysis of own and literature data, it is assumed that in the modern period, as compared to the 1990s, there is a downward trend in the content of the DDTs in the blubber of Black Sea cetaceans.

scholarly journals Anaemia, hypothyroidism and immune suppression associated with polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus )

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1726) ◽  
pp. 48-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori H. Schwacke ◽  
Eric S. Zolman ◽  
Brian C. Balmer ◽  
Sylvain De Guise ◽  
R. Clay George ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tursiops Truncatus ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Polychlorinated Biphenyl ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Endocrine System ◽  
T Lymphocyte Proliferation ◽  
Total Thyroxine ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
High Doses ◽  
Primate Laboratory

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), persistent chemicals widely used for industrial purposes, have been banned in most parts of the world for decades. Owing to their bioaccumulative nature, PCBs are still found in high concentrations in marine mammals, particularly those that occupy upper trophic positions. While PCB-related health effects have been well-documented in some mammals, studies among dolphins and whales are limited. We conducted health evaluations of bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) near a site on the Georgia, United States coast heavily contaminated by Aroclor 1268, an uncommon PCB mixture primarily comprised of octa- through deca-chlorobiphenyl congeners. A high proportion (26%) of sampled dolphins suffered anaemia, a finding previously reported from primate laboratory studies using high doses of a more common PCB mixture, Aroclor 1254. In addition, the dolphins showed reduced thyroid hormone levels and total thyroxine, free thyroxine and triiodothyronine negatively correlated with PCB concentration measured in blubber ( p = 0.039, < 0.001, 0.009, respectively). Similarly, T-lymphocyte proliferation and indices of innate immunity decreased with blubber PCB concentration, suggesting an increased susceptibility to infectious disease. Other persistent contaminants such as DDT which could potentially confound results were similar in the Georgia dolphins when compared with previously sampled reference sites, and therefore probably did not contribute to the observed correlations. Our results clearly demonstrate that dolphins are vulnerable to PCB-related toxic effects, at least partially mediated through the endocrine system. The severity of the effects suggests that the PCB mixture to which the Georgia dolphins were exposed has substantial toxic potential and further studies are warranted to elucidate mechanisms and potential impacts on other top-level predators, including humans, who regularly consume fish from the same marine waters.

scholarly journals North Pacific Baleen Whales as a Potential Source of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in the Diet of the Indigenous Peoples of the Eastern Arctic Coasts

Toxics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Chukmasov ◽  
Andrey Aksenov ◽  
Tatiana Sorokina ◽  
Yulia Varakina ◽  
Nikita Sobolev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Organic Pollutant ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Bowhead Whales ◽  
The North ◽  
Edible Tissues ◽  
High Concentrations

Among marine mammals, gray and bowhead whales contain large amounts of fat and thereby constitute crucial dietary components of the traditional diet of indigenous peoples of the Eastern Arctic. Despite the high nutritional and cultural value of gray and bowhead whales, there is a risk of persistent organic pollutant (POP) intake by indigenous individuals who use marine mammals as their main source of fat. POPs are lipophilic pollutants and are known to accumulate and magnify along the marine food web. Consumption of foods contaminated by POPs can perturb the endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems, and can potentially cause cancer. Moderate to relatively high concentrations of POPs have indeed been reported in the edible tissues of gray and bowhead whales consumed by indigenous peoples of the North Pacific Ocean. Even though their consumption is potentially harmful, there is no regular monitoring of eco-toxicants in the foods consumed by the indigenous peoples of the Eastern Arctic. In our view, the routine analyses of consumable parts of whales and of comparable nutritional items need to be included in the Russian Arctic Biomonitoring Programme.

scholarly journals High Concentrations of Unidentified Extractable Organofluorine observed in Blubber from a Greenland Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Schultes ◽  
Carmen van Noordenburg ◽  
Kyra Spaan ◽  
Merle Plassmann ◽  
Malene Simon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Killer Whale ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Peak Areas ◽  
Polyfluoroalkyl Substances ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Protein Rich ◽  
Organic Fluorine

It is generally accepted that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) occur primarily in protein-rich tissues such as blood and liver, but few studies have examined the occurrence of PFASs (in particular emerging PFASs), in lipid-rich tissues such as blubber. Here we report the distribution of 24 PFASs, total fluorine (TF) and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) in eight different tissues of a killer whale (<i>Orcinus orca</i>) from East Greenland. The sum of target PFAS concentrations was highest in liver (352 ng/g ww) and decreased in the order blood > kidney ≈ lung ≈ ovary > skin ≈ muscle ≈ blubber. Most of the EOF was made up of known PFASs in all tissues except blubber, which displayed the highest concentration of EOF, almost none of which was attributed to targeted PFASs. Suspect screening using high-resolution mass spectrometry revealed the presence of additional PFASs but the magnitude of peak areas could not explain the high concentrations of EOF in blubber. While the identity of this unknown organofluorine and its pervasiveness in marine mammals requires further investigation, this work suggests that exposure of killer whales to organofluorine substances may be underestimated by determination of legacy PFASs exclusively in liver tissues.

scholarly journals Nutrition Value, Feed Efficiency and Species of Seagrass as a Feed of Wild Dugong (Dugong dugon) in Lingayan island, Tolitoli, Central Sulawesi

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ardiansyah Nurdin ◽  
Agik Suprayogi ◽  
Aryani Sismin Satyaningtijas ◽  
Huda Salahuddin Darusman
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Gross Energy ◽  
Nutrition Value ◽  
Halodule Uninervis ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Cymodocea Rotundata ◽  
Central Sulawesi

Dugong are endangered herbivorous marine mammals, which one of the causes of extinction is degradation of seagrass as main feed of the dugong to survive. Aim of this study was to measure the quality of seagrass of wild dugong in Lingayan island, Central Sulawesi. The results showed proximat analysis value of Halophyla minor, Halodule uninervis and Cymodocea rotundata as seagrass species respectively showed values crude protein of 6.86%, 7.69% and 8.79%, crude fiber of 10.77%, 18.36% and 24.26 %, crude fat of  0.99%, 1.81 and 1.5%, calcium of 0.79%, 2.12% and 1.89%, phosphorus of  0.34%, 0.34% and 0.26 and gross energy of 163.4 cal / kg, 300.5 cal / kg and 319.5 cal / kg. Cymodocea rotundata is the best feed for dugong because it contains high energy of 319.5 cal/kg and high protein 8.79%,  if compared with Halophyla minor of 1622 cal/kg) and Halodule uninervis of 3014 cal/kg) furthermore Cymodocea rotundata has a fairly high crude fat content of 1.44% which will increase fat levels under the skin (subcutaneous ) dugong as insulators of changing environmental conditions. High concentrations of fiber in Cymodocea rotundata 25.26% can help retain water as long as food passes in the intestine. The levels of nutrients in Cymodocea rotundata which found in Lingayan island deserve highest nutritious feed of dugong.

Freeze-fracture, freeze-etch complementary pairs of virus-infected cells reveal value of etching even when relatively high concentrations of cryoprotectants are used

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-137
Author(s):  
Russell L. Steere ◽  
Eric F. Erbe
Keyword(s):  
Plant Tissue ◽  
Phosphate Buffer ◽  
Infected Plant ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Distilled Water ◽  
Virus Infected Plant ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
High Concentrations

It has been assumed by many involved in freeze-etch or freeze-fracture studies that it would be useless to etch specimens which were cryoprotected by more than 15% glycerol. We presumed that the amount of cryoprotective material exposed at the surface would serve as a contaminating layer and prevent the visualization of fine details. Recent unexpected freeze-etch results indicated that it would be useful to compare complementary replicas in which one-half of the frozen-fractured specimen would be shadowed and replicated immediately after fracturing whereas the complement would be etched at -98°C for 1 to 10 minutes before being shadowed and replicated.Standard complementary replica holders (Steere, 1973) with hinges removed were used for this study. Specimens consisting of unfixed virus-infected plant tissue infiltrated with 0.05 M phosphate buffer or distilled water were used without cryoprotectant. Some were permitted to settle through gradients to the desired concentrations of different cryoprotectants.

Effect of verapamil on cytoplasmic distribution of granules and microfilaments in amphibian urinary bladder

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 324-325
Author(s):  
A.J. Mia ◽  
L.X. Oakford ◽  
T. Yorio
Keyword(s):  
Urinary Bladder ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Granular Cell ◽  
Cytosolic Calcium ◽  
Calcium Storage ◽  
Amphibian Urinary Bladder ◽  
Vesicular Membrane ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Cytoskeletal System

The amphibian urinary bladder has been used as a ‘model’ system for studies of the mechanism of action of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) in stimulating transepithelial water flow. The increase in water permeability is accompanied by morphological changes that include the stimulation of apical microvilli, mobilization of microtubules and microfilaments and vesicular membrane fusion events . It has been shown that alterations in the cytosolic calcium concentrations can inhibit ADH transmembrane water flow and induce alterations in the epithelial cell cytomorphology, including the cytoskeletal system . Recently, the subapical granules of the granular cell in the amphibian urinary bladder have been shown to contain high concentrations of calcium, and it was suggested that these cytoplasmic constituents may act as calcium storage sites for intracellular calcium homeostasis. The present study utilizes the calcium antagonist, verapamil, to examine the effect of calcium deprivation on the cytomorphological features of epithelial cells from amphibian urinary bladder, with particular emphasis on subapical granule and microfilament distribution.

Hair cell changes after cationic stimulation of corti's organ

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 798-799
Author(s):  
Cesar D. Fermin ◽  
Hans-Peter Zenner
Keyword(s):  
Organ Of Corti ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
High K ◽  
Anatomical Arrangement ◽  
Cell Cytosol ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
K Concentration ◽  
Cell Changes

Contraction of outer and inner hair cells (OHC&IHC) in the Organ of Corti (OC) of the inner ear is necessary for sound transduction. Getting at HC in vivo preparations is difficult. Thus, isolated HCs have been used to study OHC properties. Even though viability has been shown in isolated (iOHC) preparations by good responses to current and cationic stimulation, the contribution of adjoining cells can not be explained with iOHC preparations. This study was undertaken to examine changes in the OHC after expossure of the OHC to high concentrations of potassium (K) and sodium (Na), by carefully immersing the OC in either artifical endolymph or perilymph. After K and Na exposure, OCs were fixed with 3% glutaraldehyde, post-fixed in osmium, separated into base, middle and apex and embedded in Araldite™. One μm thick sections were prepared for analysis with the light and E.M. Cross sectional areas were measured with Bioquant™ software.Potassium and sodium both cause isolated guinea pig OHC to contract. In vivo high K concentration may cause uncontrolled and sustained contractions that could contribute to Meniere's disease. The behavior of OHC in the vivo setting might be very different from that of iOHC. We show here changes of the cell cytosol and cisterns caused by K and Na to OHC in situs. The table below shows results from cross sectional area measurements of OHC from OC that were exposed to either K or Na. As one would expect, from the anatomical arrangement of the OC, OHC#l that are supported by rigid tissue would probably be displaced (move) less than those OHC located away from the pillar. Surprisingly, cells in the middle turn of the cochlea changed their surface areas more than those at either end of the cochlea. Moreover, changes in surface area do not seem to differ between K and Na treated OCs.

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