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Picone M, Giurin A, Distefano GG, Corami F, Turetta C, Volpi Ghirardini A, Basso M, Panzarin L, Farioli A, Bacci M, Sebastanelli C, Morici F, Artese C, De Sanctis A, Galuppi M, Imperio S, Serra L. Mercury and rare earth elements (REEs) show different spatial trends in feathers of Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) breeding along the Adriatic Sea coast, Italy. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:119140. [PMID: 38751003 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Feather analysis is an ethical and effective method for assessing the exposure of wild birds to environmental contamination due to trace elements and organic pollutants. We used feather to monitor the exposure to three toxic and non-essential metals (Hg, Cd, and Pb) and rare earth elements (REEs) of Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) breeding in different coastal areas (Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo, and Apulia) along the Italian coast of the Adriatic Sea. Feathers (n = 113) were collected from April to June. Feather concentrations evidenced a significant exposure to Hg (13.05 ± 1.71 mg kg-1 dw) and REEs (447.3 ± 52.8 ng g-1 dw) in the Kentish plover breeding in Veneto (n = 21) compared to the other coastal areas, with several individuals showing Hg concentrations above the adverse effect (5 mg kg-1 dw) and high-risk (9.14 mg kg-1 dw) thresholds reported for birds. Higher REE concentrations compared to Marche (n = 29), Abruzzo (n = 11) and Apulia (n = 13) were also reported for birds breeding in Emilia-Romagna (474.9 ± 41.9 ng g-1 dw; n = 29). The exposure to Cd and Pb was low in all the coastal areas, and only a few samples (n = 6 and n = 4 for Cd and Pb, respectively) exceeded the adverse effect thresholds (0.1 and 4 mg kg-1 for Cd and Pb, respectively). A significant sex-related difference was observed for REE-concentrations, with females showing higher concentration than males. These data highlight the need to monitor the exposure of the Kentish plover to Hg and REEs, especially in the northern basin of the Adriatic Sea, since these elements might negatively affect species' reproductive success and threaten its conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Picone
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics, and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venezia-Mestre, Italy.
| | - Alessia Giurin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics, and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venezia-Mestre, Italy
| | - Gabriele Giuseppe Distefano
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics, and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venezia-Mestre, Italy
| | - Fabiana Corami
- National Council for the Research - Institute of Polar Sciences, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venezia-Mestre, Italy
| | - Clara Turetta
- National Council for the Research - Institute of Polar Sciences, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venezia-Mestre, Italy
| | - Annamaria Volpi Ghirardini
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics, and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172, Venezia-Mestre, Italy
| | - Marco Basso
- Via Gianbattista Verci, 25/4, 35128, Padua, Italy
| | - Lucio Panzarin
- Via Giacomo Leopardi 5, 30020, Torre di Mosto, VE, Italy
| | - Alessio Farioli
- Associazione Ornitologi Dell'Emilia Romagna, Via Giovanni Boccaccio 23, 40026, Imola, BO, Italy
| | - Mattia Bacci
- Associazione Ornitologi Dell'Emilia Romagna, Via Giovanni Boccaccio 23, 40026, Imola, BO, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Morici
- Ornitologi Marchigiani ETS, Via Giuseppe Verdi 10/A, 62100, Macerata, Italy
| | - Carlo Artese
- Servizio Scientifico Parco Nazionale Del Gran Sasso e Monti Della Laga, Via Del Convento 1, 67010, Assergi, AQ, Italy
| | - Augusto De Sanctis
- Stazione Ornitologica Abruzzese, Via Antonio De Nino 3, 65126, Pescara, Italy
| | - Mirko Galuppi
- Via Antonio De Marinis 110, 70021, Acquaviva Delle Fonti, BA, Italy
| | - Simona Imperio
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per La Protezione e La Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064, Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Serra
- Area Avifauna Migratrice, Istituto Superiore per La Protezione e La Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064, Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy
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Abraham A, Duvall E, Ferraro K, Webster A, Doughty C, le Roux E, Ellis‐Soto D. Understanding anthropogenic impacts on zoogeochemistry is essential for ecological restoration. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Abraham
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff USA
| | - Ethan Duvall
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Cornell University Ithaca USA
| | - Kristy Ferraro
- School of the Environment Yale University Connecticut USA
| | - Andrea Webster
- Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
| | - Chris Doughty
- School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems Northern Arizona University Flagstaff USA
| | - Elizabeth le Roux
- Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Section of EcoInformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology Aarhus University Denmark
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Diego Ellis‐Soto
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University Connecticut USA
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A Review of Non-Invasive Sampling in Wildlife Disease and Health Research: What’s New? Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12131719. [PMID: 35804619 PMCID: PMC9265025 DOI: 10.3390/ani12131719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The interest in wildlife research has increased in the last decades as more scientists work within a One Health framework that regards human, livestock and wildlife health as connected entities. To minimise the impact of research on wildlife, collecting samples with as little disturbance of the animals as possible is important. In our review, we assess the use of so-called non-invasive sampling and summarise which samples can be used successfully when carrying out research on wildlife diseases and health status. Our results show that interest in minimally invasive sampling has steadily increased since the 2010s. Topics able to employ these methods include disease research, but also stress and other hormone assessments, pollution studies, and dietary studies. At the moment, such methods are mainly used to collect samples from land mammals, however, they can also be used in a wide range of other animals. Ever more capable analytical methods will allow for an even wider use of such “animal-friendly” sampling methods. Abstract In the last decades, wildlife diseases and the health status of animal populations have gained increasing attention from the scientific community as part of a One Health framework. Furthermore, the need for non-invasive sampling methods with a minimal impact on wildlife has become paramount in complying with modern ethical standards and regulations, and to collect high-quality and unbiased data. We analysed the publication trends on non-invasive sampling in wildlife health and disease research and offer a comprehensive review on the different samples that can be collected non-invasively. We retrieved 272 articles spanning from 1998 to 2021, with a rapid increase in number from 2010. Thirty-nine percent of the papers were focussed on diseases, 58% on other health-related topics, and 3% on both. Stress and other physiological parameters were the most addressed research topics, followed by viruses, helminths, and bacterial infections. Terrestrial mammals accounted for 75% of all publications, and faeces were the most widely used sample. Our review of the sampling materials and collection methods highlights that, although the use of some types of samples for specific applications is now consolidated, others are perhaps still underutilised and new technologies may offer future opportunities for an even wider use of non-invasively collected samples.
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Webster AB, Ganswindt A, Small C, Rossouw R. Optimised ICP-MS quantification method for using animal faeces as a measure of protected area ecosystem health. MethodsX 2021; 8:101441. [PMID: 34430330 PMCID: PMC8374655 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2021.101441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Pollution is a key threat to biodiversity and ecosystem health within protected areas. Using a non-invasive, multi-matrix approach, sediment, vegetation and faecal material from lion (Panthera leo) and giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) were collected and assessed for the simultaneous quantification of 20 trace elements using an optimised method for Inductively Coupled Plasma--Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Method Linearity was confirmed over an analytical range of 0.1-50 mg/kg for aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe); 0.4-400 µg/kg for vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), and cadmium (Cd); 0.5-5 µg/kg for mercury (Hg); and 1-1 000 µg/kg for elements arsenic (As), boron (B), barium (Ba), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), selenium (Se), tin (Sn), strontium (Sr) and zinc (Zn). Coefficient of determination (R2) was above 0.99 for all elements. Accuracy (% recovery) and precision (% RSD) of replicate measurements for certified reference material controls fell within 20% of expected value at lower concentrations and 15% at higher concentrations for all elements except Al. Results for instrument and method limit of detections (LOD), method limit of quantification (LOQ) and expanded uncertainty were satisfactory. Preliminary data indicate As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn were present in all matrices evaluated. This raises concerns regarding the combined action of multiple elements at concentrations that can adversely affect ecosystem and wildlife integrity.•Sample quantity is reduced due to the power and sensitivity of ICP-MS.•The optimised method is capable of detecting differences in trace element concentrations over large orders of magnitude in animal faeces containing different amounts of organic content.•The method can be applied to the quantification of essential and potentially toxic elements in faeces across a wide range of terrestrial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea B Webster
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0083, South Africa
| | - Andre Ganswindt
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Lynwood Road, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0083, South Africa
| | - Charney Small
- Central Analyticl Facilities, ICP-MS Laboratory, University of Stellenbosch, Cnr Ryneveld and Merriman Street, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
| | - Riana Rossouw
- Central Analyticl Facilities, ICP-MS Laboratory, University of Stellenbosch, Cnr Ryneveld and Merriman Street, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
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