Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location
Mercury (Hg) in wildlife remains of great concern, especially for apex piscivores. Despite this, exposure information from many species in many areas is lacking, so that management decisions are hampered. Here we examine Hg concentrations in fur, liver, and kidney tissues from river otters (Lontra c...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:ab63e5e3fa22434ca25e9800b7b85f35 2023-05-15T15:55:11+02:00 Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location Steven C. Wilkie Richard H.M. Espie Niladri Basu Karsten Liber Britt D. Hall 2018-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2017-0082 https://doaj.org/article/ab63e5e3fa22434ca25e9800b7b85f35 EN eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2017-0082 https://doaj.org/toc/2371-1671 doi:10.1139/facets-2017-0082 2371-1671 https://doaj.org/article/ab63e5e3fa22434ca25e9800b7b85f35 FACETS, Vol 3, Pp 139-154 (2018) Saskatchewan Lontra canadensis mercury organic mercury river otter fur liver kidney Education L Science Q article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2017-0082 2022-12-30T20:55:59Z Mercury (Hg) in wildlife remains of great concern, especially for apex piscivores. Despite this, exposure information from many species in many areas is lacking, so that management decisions are hampered. Here we examine Hg concentrations in fur, liver, and kidney tissues from river otters (Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777)) (n = 203) to quantify existing Hg concentrations over a broad geographic area in Saskatchewan. Mean fur total Hg (THg) (9.68 ± 7.52 mg/kg fresh weight (f.w.)) was significantly correlated with THg and organic Hg (OHg) in liver and kidney tissue, showcasing the potential for using fur as a noninvasive method of monitoring Hg in top-level mammals. Livers of males had higher mean OHg concentrations than livers of females (males: 2.71 mg/kg d.w., females: 1.87 mg/kg d.w.), but not significantly so. No sex-related differences were observed in kidney OHg concentrations. THg concentrations in otter fur collected in the Boreal Shield ecozone (Churchill River Upland) were significantly higher (mean = 16.1 mg/kg f.w.) than in otter fur collected from the Boreal Plain ecozone (mean = 8.59 mg/kg f.w.). Fur from otters (n = 20; trapping block N66) trapped near a decommissioned smelter contained the highest concentrations of THg in the study (mean = 18.4 mg/kg f.w.). Article in Journal/Newspaper Churchill River Lontra Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles FACETS 3 1 139 154 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Saskatchewan Lontra canadensis mercury organic mercury river otter fur liver kidney Education L Science Q |
spellingShingle |
Saskatchewan Lontra canadensis mercury organic mercury river otter fur liver kidney Education L Science Q Steven C. Wilkie Richard H.M. Espie Niladri Basu Karsten Liber Britt D. Hall Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location |
topic_facet |
Saskatchewan Lontra canadensis mercury organic mercury river otter fur liver kidney Education L Science Q |
description |
Mercury (Hg) in wildlife remains of great concern, especially for apex piscivores. Despite this, exposure information from many species in many areas is lacking, so that management decisions are hampered. Here we examine Hg concentrations in fur, liver, and kidney tissues from river otters (Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777)) (n = 203) to quantify existing Hg concentrations over a broad geographic area in Saskatchewan. Mean fur total Hg (THg) (9.68 ± 7.52 mg/kg fresh weight (f.w.)) was significantly correlated with THg and organic Hg (OHg) in liver and kidney tissue, showcasing the potential for using fur as a noninvasive method of monitoring Hg in top-level mammals. Livers of males had higher mean OHg concentrations than livers of females (males: 2.71 mg/kg d.w., females: 1.87 mg/kg d.w.), but not significantly so. No sex-related differences were observed in kidney OHg concentrations. THg concentrations in otter fur collected in the Boreal Shield ecozone (Churchill River Upland) were significantly higher (mean = 16.1 mg/kg f.w.) than in otter fur collected from the Boreal Plain ecozone (mean = 8.59 mg/kg f.w.). Fur from otters (n = 20; trapping block N66) trapped near a decommissioned smelter contained the highest concentrations of THg in the study (mean = 18.4 mg/kg f.w.). |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Steven C. Wilkie Richard H.M. Espie Niladri Basu Karsten Liber Britt D. Hall |
author_facet |
Steven C. Wilkie Richard H.M. Espie Niladri Basu Karsten Liber Britt D. Hall |
author_sort |
Steven C. Wilkie |
title |
Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location |
title_short |
Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location |
title_full |
Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location |
title_fullStr |
Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location |
title_full_unstemmed |
Trapped river otters (Lontra canadensis) from central Saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location |
title_sort |
trapped river otters (lontra canadensis) from central saskatchewan differ in total and organic mercury concentrations by sex and geographic location |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2017-0082 https://doaj.org/article/ab63e5e3fa22434ca25e9800b7b85f35 |
genre |
Churchill River Lontra |
genre_facet |
Churchill River Lontra |
op_source |
FACETS, Vol 3, Pp 139-154 (2018) |
op_relation |
http://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2017-0082 https://doaj.org/toc/2371-1671 doi:10.1139/facets-2017-0082 2371-1671 https://doaj.org/article/ab63e5e3fa22434ca25e9800b7b85f35 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2017-0082 |
container_title |
FACETS |
container_volume |
3 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
139 |
op_container_end_page |
154 |
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1766390518413000704 |