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Bioaccumulation of trace element concentrations in common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) from Portugal

2016; Elsevier BV; Volume: 113; Issue: 1-2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.10.033

1879-3363

Sílvia Monteiro, Andreia Pereira, Élia Costa, Jordi Torres, Isabel Oliveira, Jorge Bastos-Santos, Hélder Araújo, Marisa Ferreira, José Vingada, Catarina Eira,

Chemical Analysis and Environmental Impact

The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is one of the most abundant species in Atlantic Iberia, representing a potentially important tool to assess the bioaccumulation of trace elements in the Iberian marine ecosystem. Nine elements (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn) were evaluated in 36 dolphins stranded in continental Portugal. Dolphins had increasing Hg concentrations (16.72 μg·g− 1 ww, liver) compared with previous studies in Atlantic Iberia, whereas Cd concentrations (2.26 μg·g− 1 ww, kidney) fell within reported ranges. The concentrations of some trace elements (including Cd and Hg) presented positive relationships with dolphin length, presence of parasites and gross pathologies. Common dolphins may help biomonitoring more offshore Atlantic Iberian areas in future studies, which would otherwise be difficult to assess.