Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 1/3, 90-237, Lodz, Poland.
Faculty of Medicine with Dentistry Division, Medical University of Lublin, Al. Racławickie 1, 20-059, Lublin, Poland.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2019 Jan;76(1):76-86. doi: 10.1007/s00244-018-0580-4. Epub 2018 Nov 15.
Animals living in anthropogenic habitats bear a multitude of costs, which are directly or indirectly associated with human activities. Among others, an elevated exposure to environmental pollution can have negative consequences for wildlife populations. We examined the differences in the concentrations of trace elements between the field and forest ecotype of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Naturally, roe deer inhabited various types of woodlands (forest ecotype), but within the last century, they adapted to life in a human-transformed agricultural areas (field ecotype), which could be associated with an increased exposure to pollution. In this study, we measured concentrations of seven trace metals (barium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, strontium, zinc) and fluoride in skull bones and permanent teeth of more than 230 roe deer from 8 study plots in East-Central Europe. We found that field roe deer had higher concentrations of four trace metals (copper, iron, lead, strontium) and fluoride compared with forest roe deer. These differences were consistent with variations in the general level of environmental contamination within the study plots, as assessed with trace element content in wild plants. Our study indicates that bone and teeth of the European roe deer can be used as a valid indicator of environmental pollution. Also, we expect that elevated exposure of field roe deer to environmental pollution can have negative consequences for wild populations of this species, as well as for the consumers of venison.
生活在人为栖息地的动物承受着多种代价，这些代价直接或间接地与人类活动有关。其中，暴露在环境污染中会对野生动物种群产生负面影响。我们研究了欧洲狍(field ecotype)和森林型(field ecotype)的骨骼和牙齿中的七种痕量元素（钡、铜、铁、铅、锰、锶、锌）和氟化物浓度的差异。自然情况下，狍生活在各种类型的林地（森林型）中，但在过去的一个世纪里，它们适应了人类改造的农业区（field ecotype）的生活，这可能与暴露在污染中的机会增加有关。在这项研究中，我们测量了来自东中欧 8 个研究点的 230 多只狍头骨和永久牙齿中的七种痕量金属（钡、铜、铁、铅、锰、锶、锌）和氟化物的浓度。我们发现，与森林型狍相比，field 型狍的四种痕量金属（铜、铁、铅、锶）和氟化物浓度更高。这些差异与研究点内环境污染物的总体水平变化一致，如通过野生植物中的痕量元素含量来评估。我们的研究表明，欧洲狍的骨骼和牙齿可以作为环境污染的有效指标。此外，我们预计 field 型狍暴露在环境污染中会对该物种的野生种群以及鹿肉消费者产生负面影响。
