Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors
Trace element pollution can adversely affect the brains of individuals and thus impact the entire population of apex predators, such as large European carnivores. We assessed exposure to prominent neurotoxicants As, Cd, Hg and Pb by measuring their brain stem levels in brown bears (n = 114), grey wo...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2305-6304/11/1/4/ 2023-08-20T04:05:49+02:00 Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors Maja Lazarus Ankica Sekovanić Slaven Reljić Josip Kusak Maja Ferenčaković Magda Sindičić Tomislav Gomerčić Đuro Huber agris 2022-12-20 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11010004 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Ecotoxicology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxics11010004 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Toxics; Volume 11; Issue 1; Pages: 4 inorganic pollutants metal(loid)s brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) apex predator liver Text 2022 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11010004 2023-08-01T07:53:24Z Trace element pollution can adversely affect the brains of individuals and thus impact the entire population of apex predators, such as large European carnivores. We assessed exposure to prominent neurotoxicants As, Cd, Hg and Pb by measuring their brain stem levels in brown bears (n = 114), grey wolves (n = 8), Eurasian lynx (n = 3), and golden jackals (n = 2) sampled in 2015–2022 in Croatia. The highest of the non-essential elements was the Pb level in the bearsʼ brains (median, Q1–Q3; 11.1, 7.13–24.1 μg/kg wet mass), with 4% of animals, all subadults, exceeding the established normal bovine levels (100 μg/kg wet mass). Species-specific differences were noted for Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Se brain levels. Female brown bears had higher As brain levels than males. Cubs and yearlings had lower brain Cd, but higher Zn, while subadults had higher Cu than adult bears. Hepatic As, Cd, Cu and Hg levels were shown to be a moderate proxy for estimating brain levels in bears (rS = 0.30–0.69). Multiple associations of As, Cd, Hg and Pb with essential elements pointed to a possible interaction and disturbance of brain Ca, Cu, Fe, Se and Zn homeostasis. Non-essential element levels in the brains of four studied species were lower than reported earlier for terrestrial meso-carnivores and humans. The age and sex of animals were highlighted as essential factors in interpreting brain element levels in ecotoxicological studies of large carnivores. Text Canis lupus Ursus arctos Lynx Lynx lynx lynx MDPI Open Access Publishing Toxics 11 1 4 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
op_collection_id |
ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
inorganic pollutants metal(loid)s brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) apex predator liver |
spellingShingle |
inorganic pollutants metal(loid)s brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) apex predator liver Maja Lazarus Ankica Sekovanić Slaven Reljić Josip Kusak Maja Ferenčaković Magda Sindičić Tomislav Gomerčić Đuro Huber Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors |
topic_facet |
inorganic pollutants metal(loid)s brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) grey wolf ( Canis lupus ) Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) apex predator liver |
description |
Trace element pollution can adversely affect the brains of individuals and thus impact the entire population of apex predators, such as large European carnivores. We assessed exposure to prominent neurotoxicants As, Cd, Hg and Pb by measuring their brain stem levels in brown bears (n = 114), grey wolves (n = 8), Eurasian lynx (n = 3), and golden jackals (n = 2) sampled in 2015–2022 in Croatia. The highest of the non-essential elements was the Pb level in the bearsʼ brains (median, Q1–Q3; 11.1, 7.13–24.1 μg/kg wet mass), with 4% of animals, all subadults, exceeding the established normal bovine levels (100 μg/kg wet mass). Species-specific differences were noted for Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Se brain levels. Female brown bears had higher As brain levels than males. Cubs and yearlings had lower brain Cd, but higher Zn, while subadults had higher Cu than adult bears. Hepatic As, Cd, Cu and Hg levels were shown to be a moderate proxy for estimating brain levels in bears (rS = 0.30–0.69). Multiple associations of As, Cd, Hg and Pb with essential elements pointed to a possible interaction and disturbance of brain Ca, Cu, Fe, Se and Zn homeostasis. Non-essential element levels in the brains of four studied species were lower than reported earlier for terrestrial meso-carnivores and humans. The age and sex of animals were highlighted as essential factors in interpreting brain element levels in ecotoxicological studies of large carnivores. |
format |
Text |
author |
Maja Lazarus Ankica Sekovanić Slaven Reljić Josip Kusak Maja Ferenčaković Magda Sindičić Tomislav Gomerčić Đuro Huber |
author_facet |
Maja Lazarus Ankica Sekovanić Slaven Reljić Josip Kusak Maja Ferenčaković Magda Sindičić Tomislav Gomerčić Đuro Huber |
author_sort |
Maja Lazarus |
title |
Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors |
title_short |
Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors |
title_full |
Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors |
title_fullStr |
Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors |
title_full_unstemmed |
Lead and Other Trace Element Levels in Brains of Croatian Large Terrestrial Carnivores: Influence of Biological and Ecological Factors |
title_sort |
lead and other trace element levels in brains of croatian large terrestrial carnivores: influence of biological and ecological factors |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11010004 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Canis lupus Ursus arctos Lynx Lynx lynx lynx |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus Ursus arctos Lynx Lynx lynx lynx |
op_source |
Toxics; Volume 11; Issue 1; Pages: 4 |
op_relation |
Ecotoxicology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxics11010004 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11010004 |
container_title |
Toxics |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
4 |
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1774716565990670336 |