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Developing a Bioindicator in the Northwestern Persian Gulf, Iran: Trace Elements in Bird Eggs and in Coastal Sediments

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Abstract

Levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and vanadium (V) were evaluated in coastal sediments, egg contents, and eggshells of crab plover (Dromas ardeola), bridled tern (Sterna anaethetus), lesser crested tern (S. bengalensis), and western reef heron (Egretta gularis) breeding in the northwestern Persian Gulf. Levels of Cd, Pb, Ni, V, and Se were greater in eggs of terns than in eggs of crab plover, perhaps due to the higher trophic level of terns. Levels of all elements were lower than known effects levels for birds. However, levels of Se in eggs were greater than those known to cause toxic effects in birds. Eggs of terns are ideal for monitoring metal contaminants on the breeding grounds because the bioaccumulation ratios (egg/sediment) of some metals (As, Co, Se) in the eggs of terns are significantly greater compared with those of crab plovers.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ahmad Reza Mollae (Fluid Utility Laboratory Expert of Khuzestal Steel Company) for helping us with the laboratory processes. We also thank anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

    Nastaran Khademi

  2. Environmental Forensic Laboratory, Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Mazandaran, Iran

    Alireza Riyahi-Bakhtiari

  3. Department of the Environment, College of Basic Sciences, Hamedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran

    Soheil Sobhanardakani

  4. Environmental Management Office, Qeshm Free Area Organization, Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf, Iran

    Mohsen Rezaie-Atagholipour

  5. Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, 600 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Joanna Burger

Authors
  1. Nastaran Khademi
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  2. Alireza Riyahi-Bakhtiari
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  3. Soheil Sobhanardakani
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  4. Mohsen Rezaie-Atagholipour
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  5. Joanna Burger
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Correspondence to Nastaran Khademi.

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Khademi, N., Riyahi-Bakhtiari, A., Sobhanardakani, S. et al. Developing a Bioindicator in the Northwestern Persian Gulf, Iran: Trace Elements in Bird Eggs and in Coastal Sediments. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 68, 274–282 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-014-0084-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-014-0084-9

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