Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NO-7491, Norway.
Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, NO-7491, Norway; Department of Arctic Technology, The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), P.O. Box 156, 9171, Longyearbyen, Norway.
Environ Pollut. 2023 Sep 15;333:122092. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122092. Epub 2023 Jun 20.
To assess the impact of increasing pollutant levels on wildlife, we measured chemical contaminant loads in bats with different habitat and dietary preferences. Samples were taken from the fur of bats (Eptesicus nilssonii, Myotis brandtii, Myotis mystacinus and Plecotus auritus) to measure concentrations of 55 elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Variations in element concentrations between different bat groups (species, sex, reproductive status) were analysed with a focus on arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) as these are known to cause specific health concerns in wildlife. For M. brandtii we found the highest As concentrations, especially in lactating bats, with a maximum exceeding those from other studies where bats had compromised health. Whereas for M. mystacinus there was a negative correlation between body condition index (BCI) and As concentration, indicating a potential danger for bats in the study area. In M. mystacinus and M. brandtii Hg concentrations were higher for sixteen individuals than in other studies where bats suffered genotoxic effects, although median levels were still below this threshold. Lactating bats from P. auritus and M. brandtii had higher Hg concentrations than bats of other reproductive status, which could endanger offspring as Hg can be transferred through lactation. In females from M. mystacinus Pb concentrations were more than three times higher compared to males. There was also a negative correlation between Pb concentration and BCI, which could mean that Pb has an adverse effect on health. Although many other biotic and abiotic factors should be considered, some of the variations in element concentrations could be due to different behaviours (foraging, roosting, etc.) in the studied species. The high levels of chemical contamination in some of the bats in our study, particularly reproductive individuals, is of conservation concern as bats are important agents for insect control.
为了评估污染物水平升高对野生动物的影响，我们测量了具有不同栖息地和食性偏好的蝙蝠体内的化学污染物负荷。从蝙蝠（Eptesicus nilssonii、Myotis brandtii、Myotis mystacinus 和 Plecotus auritus）的皮毛中采集样本，通过电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测量 55 种元素的浓度。我们分析了不同蝙蝠群体（物种、性别、繁殖状况）之间元素浓度的变化，重点关注砷（As）、汞（Hg）和铅（Pb），因为这些元素已知会对野生动物的健康造成特定的影响。对于 M. brandtii，我们发现了最高的 As 浓度，尤其是在哺乳期蝙蝠中，最大浓度超过了其他研究中蝙蝠健康状况受损的浓度。而对于 M. mystacinus，身体状况指数（BCI）与 As 浓度之间呈负相关，表明研究区域的蝙蝠存在潜在危险。在 M. mystacinus 和 M. brandtii 中，有 16 只个体的 Hg 浓度高于其他研究中出现基因毒性影响的蝙蝠，尽管中位数水平仍低于这一阈值。哺乳期的 P. auritus 和 M. brandtii 蝙蝠的 Hg 浓度高于其他繁殖状态的蝙蝠，这可能会危及后代，因为 Hg 可以通过哺乳传递。在 M. mystacinus 雌性个体中，Pb 浓度比雄性高三倍以上。Pb 浓度与 BCI 之间也呈负相关，这可能意味着 Pb 对健康有不利影响。尽管还应考虑许多其他生物和非生物因素，但元素浓度的一些变化可能是由于研究物种不同的行为（觅食、栖息等）所致。我们的研究中，一些蝙蝠的化学污染水平很高，尤其是繁殖个体，这引起了保护方面的关注，因为蝙蝠是昆虫控制的重要生物。
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