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Nondestructive indices of mercury exposure in three species of turtles occupying different trophic niches downstream from a former chloralkali facility

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Abstract

Turtles are useful for studying bioaccumulative pollutants such as mercury (Hg) because they have long life spans and feed at trophic levels that result in high exposure to anthropogenic chemicals. We compared total Hg concentrations in blood and toenails of three species of turtles (Chelydra serpentina, Sternotherus odoratus, and Graptemys geographica) with different feeding ecologies from locations up- and downstream of a superfund site in Virginia, USA. Mercury concentrations in turtle tissues were low at the reference site (average ± 1SE: blood = 48 ± 6 ng g−1; nail = 2,464 ± 339 ng g−1 FW) but rose near the contamination source to concentrations among the highest ever reported in turtles [up to 1,800 ng g−1 (blood) and 42,250 ng g−1 (nail) FW]. Tissue concentrations remained elevated ~130 km downstream from the source compared to reference concentrations. Tissue Hg concentrations were higher for C. serpentina and S. odoratus than G. geographica, consistent with the feeding ecology and our stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses of these species. In addition, we suggest that toenails were a better indication of Hg exposure than blood, probably because this keratinized tissue represents integrated exposure over time. Our results demonstrate that downstream transport of Hg from point sources can persist over vast expanses of river thereby posing potential exposure risks to turtles, but relative exposure varies with trophic level. In addition, our study identifies turtle toenails as a simple, cost-efficient, and minimally invasive tissue for conservation-minded sampling of these long-lived vertebrates.

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Acknowledgments

J. Schmerfeld, G. Heffinger, K. Tom, M. Newman, D. Evers, D. Yates, G. Schoenholtz, and S. Folsom provided valuable assistance during the project. We thank the landowners along the NFHR for their cooperation. Collection of animals was in conformance with appropriate permits in Virginia and Tennessee and sample methods were in compliance with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s animal care and use protocols. This research was primarily supported by contract #501817M754 from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, but was also supported by startup funds to WAH.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wildlife Ecotoxicology and Physiological Ecology, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech University, 106 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061-0321, USA

    William A. Hopkins, Cathy Bodinof & Sarah Budischak

  2. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Cathy Bodinof

  3. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Sarah Budischak

  4. Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-4210, USA

    Christopher Perkins

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  1. William A. Hopkins
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Correspondence to William A. Hopkins.

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Hopkins, W.A., Bodinof, C., Budischak, S. et al. Nondestructive indices of mercury exposure in three species of turtles occupying different trophic niches downstream from a former chloralkali facility. Ecotoxicology 22, 22–32 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0999-8

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