1
|
Steiniche T, Wang S, Chester E, Mutegeki R, Rothman JM, Wrangham RW, Chapman CA, Venier M, Wasserman MD. Associations between faecal chemical pollutants and hormones in primates inhabiting Kibale National Park, Uganda. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230005. [PMID: 37221860 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
While anthropogenic pollutants are known to be a threat to primates, our understanding of exposure to pollutants in situ and their sub-lethal effects is still limited. We used non-invasive biomonitoring to examine associations between faecal concentrations of 97 chemical pollutants and faecal hormone metabolites of cortisol and oestradiol in four primate species inhabiting Kibale National Park, Uganda (chimpanzees-Pan troglodytes, olive baboons-Papio anubis, red colobus-Piliocolobus tephrosceles and red-tailed monkeys-Cercopithecus ascanius). Across all species (n = 71 samples), results demonstrated positive associations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) (β = 0.143, p = 0.020) and organophosphate esters (β = 0.112, p = 0.003) with cortisol in adult females. Additionally, we observed positive associations of OCPs (β = 0.192, p = 0.013) and brominated flame retardants (β = 0.176, p = 0.004) with cortisol in juveniles. Results suggest that cumulative pesticides and flame retardants are disruptive to endocrine function in these populations, which could have implications for development, metabolism and reproduction. Our study further demonstrates that faeces can be an important, non-invasive matrix for examining pollutant-hormone associations in wild primates and other critical wildlife populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tessa Steiniche
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, 47405, Indiana
| | - Shaorui Wang
- National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, People's Republic of China
| | - Emily Chester
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, 47405, Indiana
| | - Richard Mutegeki
- Makerere University Biological Field Station, Kibale National Park, Uganda
| | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, City University of New York, Hunter College, New York City, 10065, NY, USA
- Conservation Department, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, and Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, MA, UK
| | - Colin A Chapman
- Biology Department, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada V9R 5S5
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 4041, South Africa
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, People's Republic of China
- Wilson Center, Washington, DC, 20004, USA
| | - Marta Venier
- O'Neill School of Environmental and Public Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, 47405, Indiana
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang S, Steiniche T, Rothman JM, Wrangham RW, Chapman CA, Mutegeki R, Quirós R, Wasserman MD, Venier M. Feces are Effective Biological Samples for Measuring Pesticides and Flame Retardants in Primates. Environ Sci Technol 2020; 54:12013-12023. [PMID: 32900185 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c02500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The habitats of wild primates are increasingly threatened by surrounding anthropogenic pressures, but little is known about primate exposure to frequently used chemicals. We applied a novel method to simultaneously measure 21 legacy pesticides (OCPs), 29 current use pesticides (CUPs), 47 halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), and 19 organophosphate flame retardants in feces from baboons in the U.S.A., howler monkeys in Costa Rica, and baboons, chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, and red colobus in Uganda. The most abundant chemicals were α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH), and hexachlorobenzene among OCPs across all sites, chlorpyrifos among CUPs in Costa Rica and Indiana, decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) in Costa Rica and Indiana and 2, 2', 4, 4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) in Uganda as HFRs, and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) as OPFRs across all sites. The detected chemical concentrations were generally higher in red-tailed monkeys and red colobus than in chimpanzees and baboons. Our methods can be used to examine the threat of chemical pollutants to wildlife, which is critical for endangered species where only noninvasive methods can be used.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaorui Wang
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Tessa Steiniche
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10021, United States
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project and Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Colin A Chapman
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
- Makerere University Biological Field Station, Kibale National Park, Kibale, Uganda
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 712100, P. R. China
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3629, South Africa
| | - Richard Mutegeki
- Makerere University Biological Field Station, Kibale National Park, Kibale, Uganda
| | - Rodolfo Quirós
- Organization for Tropical Studies, San Vito 60803, Costa Rica
| | - Michael D Wasserman
- Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Marta Venier
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rich AM, Poindexter SA, Lai A, Steiniche TB, Mutegeki R, Wasserman MD. A camera trap survey in a protected forest with potential for landscape connectivity across Western Uganda. Afr J Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alicia M. Rich
- Department of Anthropology Boston University Boston MA USA
- Department of Anthropology Indiana University Bloomington IN USA
| | | | - Alyssa Lai
- Department of Anthropology Boston University Boston MA USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang S, Steiniche T, Romanak KA, Johnson E, Quirós R, Mutegeki R, Wasserman MD, Venier M. Atmospheric Occurrence of Legacy Pesticides, Current Use Pesticides, and Flame Retardants in and around Protected Areas in Costa Rica and Uganda. Environ Sci Technol 2019; 53:6171-6181. [PMID: 31081620 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b00649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Protected areas have developed alongside intensive changes in land use and human settlements in the neighboring landscape. Here, we investigated the occurrence of 21 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), 14 current use pesticides (CUPs), 47 halogenated flame retardants (HFRs), and 19 organophosphate esters (OPEs) in air around Las Cruces (LC) and La Selva (LS) Biological Stations, Costa Rica, and Kibale National Park (KNP), Uganda using passive air samplers (PAS) with polyurethane foam (PUF) discs (PAS-PUF). Significantly higher concentrations of CUPs were observed around LS, while LC had a higher concentration of OCPs. Land use analysis indicated that LS had a higher fraction of agriculture than LC (33% vs 14%), suggesting the higher CUPs concentration at LS was related to pesticide intensive crops, while higher OCPs concentration at LC may be attributed to the area's long agricultural history characterized by small-scale subsistence farming or long-range transport. In Uganda, CUPs and OCPs were generally lower than in Costa Rica, but high concentrations of HFRs were observed inside KNP, possibly due to human activity at research camps near the protected forest. This is the first study that documented the occurrence of anthropogenic chemicals in the air at protected areas with tropical forests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shaorui Wang
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs , Indiana University , Bloomington , Indiana , United States
| | - Tessa Steiniche
- Department of Anthropology , Indiana University , Bloomington , Indiana , United States
| | - Kevin A Romanak
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs , Indiana University , Bloomington , Indiana , United States
| | - Eric Johnson
- Department of Anthropology , Indiana University , Bloomington , Indiana , United States
| | - Rodolfo Quirós
- Las Cruces Biological Field Station, Organization for Tropical Studies, San Vito , Costa Rica
| | - Richard Mutegeki
- Makerere University Biological Field Station (MUBFS), Kibale National Park , Uganda
| | - Michael D Wasserman
- Department of Anthropology , Indiana University , Bloomington , Indiana , United States
| | - Marta Venier
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs , Indiana University , Bloomington , Indiana , United States
| |
Collapse
|