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Trace Metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in Blood and Eggs of the Sea Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea from a Nesting Colony of Oaxaca, Mexico

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Abstract

Trace metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn) concentrations were assessed in the sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea from a nesting colony of Oaxaca, Mexico. Twenty-five female turtles were sampled, a total of 250 eggs were collected during the “arribada” event of the 2005–2006 season. Zn concentrations were highest in the yolk [72.3 ± 10.9 μg/g dry weight (dw)] and blood (58.4 ± 4.7 μg/g dw), whereas Ni concentrations were highest in the shell (48.5 ± 12.9 μg/g dw). The mean concentrations of Cu, and Cd in the analyzed tissues were lower than those reported in other sea turtle species. However, Zn and Ni concentrations in the yolk and shell, respectively, had the same distribution pattern observed at loggerhead and green turtles. On the basis of one nesting season, the maternal transfer and/or the excretion rates of trace metals via eggs-laying, estimated in terms of metal burdens in whole body, were 0.2, 7.8, 3.4, and 21.5% for Cd, Cu, Zn, and Ni, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge A. L. Páez-Michel (field work), H. Bojórquez-Leyva (laboratory assistance), C. Ramírez-Jáuregui (bibliographic support), G. Ramírez-Reséndiz (statistical analyses), and C. Suárez-Gutiérrez (computing assistance). This research was conducted under permits by Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SGPA/DGVS/06195).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P.O. Box 811, 82040, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Federico Páez-Osuna & Martín F. Soto-Jiménez

  2. Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, P.O. Box 811, 82040, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    María F. Calderón-Campuzano

  3. Sección ambiental, Instituto Tecnológico de Mazatlán, P.O. Box 757, 82070, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Jorge R. Ruelas-Inzunza

Authors
  1. Federico Páez-Osuna
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  2. María F. Calderón-Campuzano
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  3. Martín F. Soto-Jiménez
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  4. Jorge R. Ruelas-Inzunza
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Correspondence to Federico Páez-Osuna.

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Páez-Osuna, F., Calderón-Campuzano, M.F., Soto-Jiménez, M.F. et al. Trace Metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in Blood and Eggs of the Sea Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea from a Nesting Colony of Oaxaca, Mexico. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 59, 632–641 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9516-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-010-9516-3

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