Rasmussen Sophie Lund, Pertoldi Cino, Roslev Peter, Vorkamp Katrin, Nielsen Jeppe Lund
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK.
Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Jan 11;14(2):232. doi: 10.3390/ani14020232.
Monitoring data from several European countries indicate that European hedgehog () populations are declining, and research exploring the causes of the decline, including exposure to potentially harmful xenobiotics and metals, may inform conservation initiatives to protect this species in the wild. Hedgehogs are ground-dwelling mammals, feeding on a range of insects, slugs, snails, and earthworms, as well as eggs, live vertebrates, and carrion, including carcasses of apex predator species representing higher levels of the food chain. Consequently, hedgehogs come into close contact with contaminants present in their habitats and prey. This review investigated the studies available on the subject of the occurrence of metals and organic xenobiotics in hedgehogs. This study found that a vast range of different pesticides; persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including organochlorine compounds and brominated flame retardants (BFRs); as well as toxic heavy metals could be detected. Some compounds occurred in lethal concentrations, and some were associated with a potential adverse effect on hedgehog health and survival. Due to their ecology, combined with the opportunity to apply non-invasive sampling techniques using spines as sampling material, we suggest that the European hedgehog is a relevant bioindicator species for monitoring the exposure of terrestrial wildlife to potential toxicants in urban and rural environments.
来自几个欧洲国家的监测数据表明，欧洲刺猬（）的数量正在下降，探索数量下降原因的研究，包括接触潜在有害的异生素和金属，可能会为保护野生刺猬的保护举措提供信息。刺猬是陆栖哺乳动物，以一系列昆虫、蛞蝓、蜗牛和蚯蚓为食，也吃鸟蛋、活的脊椎动物和腐肉，包括代表食物链较高层级的顶级捕食者物种的尸体。因此，刺猬与它们栖息地和猎物中存在的污染物密切接触。本综述调查了有关刺猬体内金属和有机异生素存在情况的现有研究。该研究发现，可以检测到种类繁多的不同农药；持久性有机污染物（POPs），包括有机氯化合物和溴化阻燃剂（BFRs）；以及有毒重金属。一些化合物以致死浓度出现，一些与对刺猬健康和生存的潜在不利影响有关。由于它们的生态习性，再加上有机会使用刺作为采样材料应用非侵入性采样技术，我们认为欧洲刺猬是监测城乡环境中陆地野生动物接触潜在毒物情况的相关生物指示物种。
