Ruberg Elizabeth J, Williams Tony D, Elliott John E
Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC, Canada.
Ecotoxicology. 2021 May;30(4):525-536. doi: 10.1007/s10646-021-02359-9. Epub 2021 Mar 16.
Worldwide petroleum exploration and transportation continue to impact the health of the marine environment through both catastrophic and chronic spillage. Of the impacted fauna, marine reptiles are often overlooked. While marine reptiles are sensitive to xenobiotics, there is a paucity of petroleum toxicity data for these specialized fauna in peer reviewed literature. Here we review the known impacts of petroleum spillage to marine reptiles, specifically to marine turtles and iguanas with an emphasis on physiology and fitness related toxicological effects. Secondly, we recommend standardized toxicity testing on surrogate species to elucidate the mechanisms by which petroleum related mortalities occur in the field following catastrophic spillage and to better link physiological and fitness related endpoints. Finally, we propose that marine reptiles could serve as sentinel species for marine ecosystem monitoring in the case of petroleum spillage. Comprehensive petroleum toxicity data on marine reptiles is needed in order to serve as a foundation for future research with newer, unconventional crude oils of unknown toxicity such as diluted bitumen.
全球范围内的石油勘探和运输，通过灾难性和持续性的泄漏，持续影响着海洋环境的健康。在受影响的动物群体中，海洋爬行动物常常被忽视。尽管海洋爬行动物对异生素敏感，但在同行评审的文献中，针对这些特殊动物群体的石油毒性数据却很匮乏。在此，我们回顾石油泄漏对海洋爬行动物已知的影响，特别是对海龟和鬣蜥的影响，重点关注与生理和健康相关的毒理学效应。其次，我们建议对替代物种进行标准化毒性测试，以阐明在灾难性泄漏后石油相关死亡在野外发生的机制，并更好地将生理和健康相关的终点联系起来。最后，我们提议在石油泄漏的情况下，海洋爬行动物可作为海洋生态系统监测的指示物种。为了作为未来研究新型、毒性未知的非常规原油（如稀释沥青）的基础，需要全面的海洋爬行动物石油毒性数据。
