Conservation Science Global, Inc., Bozeman, MT, USA; The Peregrine Fund, Boise, ID, USA.
Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, ID, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Dec 1;954:176406. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176406. Epub 2024 Sep 19.
Exposure to heavy metals has been documented in a wide range of wildlife species, but infrequently in ground squirrels. This is despite their tendency to be targets of recreational shooters and the accumulation of lead ammunition in the soil environments they inhabit. We analyzed lead and copper concentrations in liver (n = 116, n = 101) and femur (n = 116, n = 116) of Piute ground squirrels (Urocitellus mollis) and in soil (n = 75) on public lands in southwestern Idaho to understand how lead exposure may vary across a gradient of intensities and histories of shooting activity. The liver and femur of squirrels from areas used for recreational shooting for >30 years had elevated lead concentrations relative to areas where shooting was rare or did not occur (our negative control), but as expected, lower than areas used for military target training for >70 years (our positive control). Lead concentration in soils were higher in areas used for military target training than in those used for recreational shooting. There were no differences in copper concentrations in biological or soil samples among sites. These data suggest that ground squirrels can be influenced by the history of lead use in their local environment, and they illustrate another pathway by which human activity can influence toxicant exposure to wildlife.
重金属暴露已在广泛的野生动物物种中得到证实，但在地松鼠中却很少见。尽管它们往往是娱乐性射击者的目标，而且它们生活的土壤环境中会积累铅弹药。我们分析了皮尤特地松鼠（Urocitellus mollis）肝脏（n=116，n=101）和股骨（n=116，n=116）以及西南爱达荷州公共土地上土壤（n=75）中的铅和铜浓度，以了解铅暴露如何在射击活动强度和历史的梯度上发生变化。与射击活动罕见或不存在（我们的阴性对照）的地区相比，来自娱乐性射击活动超过 30 年的地区的松鼠肝脏和股骨中的铅浓度升高，但与用于 70 多年军事目标训练的地区（我们的阳性对照）相比，铅浓度较低。用于军事目标训练的地区的土壤中的铅浓度高于用于娱乐性射击的地区。在各个地点的生物和土壤样本中，铜浓度没有差异。这些数据表明，地松鼠可能会受到当地环境中铅使用历史的影响，它们说明了人类活动影响野生动物暴露于有毒物质的另一种途径。
