Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Environmental Conservation through Leading-Edge Research (SECLER), Nova Southeastern University, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL, 33004, USA.
Department of Chemistry and Physics, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA.
Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2022 Apr;108(4):641-645. doi: 10.1007/s00128-021-03394-2. Epub 2021 Nov 12.
This study established the first baseline of changing elemental concentrations in bowhead whale baleen over time (1958-1999). From previously published stable isotope data, year, season (summer or winter), and location (Beaufort or Bering/Chukchi seas) were attributed to each sample. Thirteen elements (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn) in baleen from nine subsistence-harvested bowhead whales (n = 138) were detected. Al, Cu, and Fe were the highest concentrations while Cd and V were among the lowest. Our data supports absorption as the main route of exposure to environmental elements rather than biomagnification due to bowhead whales' low trophic position. A linear mixed-effects model confirmed most elements' concentrations increased with time, while location and sex were insignificant explanatory factors. These temporal fluctuations were most likely a product of environmental changes due to a warming climate and human activities.
本研究建立了弓头鲸须中元素浓度随时间变化的第一个基线（1958-1999 年）。根据之前发表的稳定同位素数据，每个样本都被赋予了年份、季节（夏季或冬季）和地点（波弗特海或白令/楚科奇海）。从 9 头因生存需要而被捕猎的弓头鲸的鲸须中检测到了 13 种元素（Al、Cd、Co、Cr、Cu、Fe、Hg、Mn、Ni、Pb、Se、V、Zn）。Al、Cu 和 Fe 的浓度最高，而 Cd 和 V 的浓度最低。我们的数据支持吸收是暴露于环境元素的主要途径，而不是由于弓头鲸的低营养级位置导致的生物放大。线性混合效应模型证实，大多数元素的浓度随时间增加，而地点和性别则不是重要的解释因素。这些时间上的波动很可能是由于气候变暖以及人类活动等环境变化的产物。
