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Mercury Bioaccumulation in Two Species of Insectivorous Bats from Urban China: Influence of Species, Age, and Land Use Type
- Source :
- Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology. 75(4)
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Mercury (Hg) is a widespread, toxic pollutant, and China is the world’s largest emitter. We investigated Hg concentrations of fur in Japanese pipistrelles (Pipistrellus abramus) and Chinese noctules (Nyctalus plancyi) from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in relation to degree of urbanization. Bats were mist-netted in June and July 2013, and the fur was analyzed via atomic absorption. Statistical comparisons were made between ages, species, and site types with unpaired t tests and between Hg concentration and body condition with Spearman’s rank correlations. Across sites, adult pipistrelles (n = 10) had significantly greater concentrations than adult noctules (n = 16). Adult N. plancyi (n = 16) had significantly greater concentrations than juvenile N. plancyi (n = 14). Contrary to our predictions, there was no significant difference in Hg values between urban (n = 3) and peri-urban (n = 6) locations for P. abramus. While small sample sizes precluded additional comparisons, the highest value (33 mg/kg) came from an adult female P. abramus in the agricultural area. The relationship between body condition and Hg concentration was insignificant. However, most pipistrelles (7/13) and no noctules (0/31) had concentrations > 10 mg/kg, a threshold associated with disruption of homeostatic control and mobility. All bats had concentrations > 0.2 mg/kg, which is associated with compromised immunity. These are the first published records of contaminant concentrations from bats in China. For future studies, we recommend P. abramus as a regional bioindicator, longer term assessments of pre- and post-exposure effects, and simultaneous assessment of blood and fur Hg concentrations.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Nyctalus
Male
China
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
chemistry.chemical_element
010501 environmental sciences
Biology
Toxicology
010603 evolutionary biology
01 natural sciences
Animal science
Species Specificity
Chiroptera
Ecotoxicology
Juvenile
Animals
Pipistrellus
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Age Factors
Insectivore
Agriculture
General Medicine
Mercury
biology.organism_classification
Pollution
Mercury (element)
chemistry
Bioaccumulation
Environmental Pollutants
Female
Bioindicator
Environmental Monitoring
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14320703
- Volume :
- 75
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....1ff25a1862b82dd89fc0c80de0ac315c