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Trace Element Accumulation in Two Turtle Species, Malaclemys terrapin and Chelydra serpentina, in New Jersey, USA

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Abstract

Trace elements in aquatic environments pose a risk to biological communities; this study investigates the total concentrations of arsenic (As), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) within muscle, carapace, liver, and adipose tissues of diamondback terrapins and common snapping turtles in New Jersey. The effects of tissue type, sex, size, and location upon trace element accumulation were studied. The data obtained indicates that within diamondback terrapins and common snapping turtles, trace element accumulations displayed a significant difference among tissue types and sex (p < 0.005). The data indicates that Ag, Cd, Cu, and Hg can accumulate within the liver of diamondback terrapin. Se was found to accumulate in the livers of both diamondback terrapin and common snapping turtles. The highest mean concentrations of Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb were found in the carapace of both turtle species. Sex was found to have an impact on As, Hg, and Zn accumulation within different tissue types of diamondback terrapins. Diamondback terrapin males were found to have higher concentrations of As within the carapace. Diamondback terrapin females possessed higher concentrations of Hg in muscle tissues and Hg and Zn in the carapace. Turtle size and collection location land type and land cover did not display any correlation with trace element bioaccumulation for either species.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Natalie Sherwood for collecting all the common snapping turtle and diamondback terrapin specimens. We would also like to acknowledge the University of Graz’s Scholarship and New Jersey Water Environment Association, Louis Fontenelli Award for supporting the research though scholarships.

Funding

Partial financial support was received from the University of Graz’s Scholarship, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, and the New Jersey Water Environment Association, Louis Fontenelli Award.

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Author notes

  1. Simone Braeuer

    Present address: Atomic and Mass Spectrometry Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S12, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA

    Molly Hillenbrand & Meiyin Wu

  2. Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Simone Braeuer & Walter Goessler

  3. Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA

    Xiaona Li

Authors
  1. Molly Hillenbrand
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Contributions

M. Hillenbrand: data collection, statistical analysis, writing; M. Wu: conceptualization, methodology, supervision, reviewing and editing; S. Braeuer: ICP-MS operator, reviewing and editing; W. Goessler: reviewing and editing, X. Li: methodology, reviewing and editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Molly Hillenbrand.

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Ethics Approval

The samples collected in this study were in compliance with ethical standards. All turtles were deceased at the time of collection. The turtles collected were either casualties of vehicle collisions or had drowned in traps. The collection of these turtles were approved by the state of New Jersey and a New Jersey Fishing, and salvage permit (no: SC 2012031) was granted.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Hillenbrand, M., Wu, M., Braeuer, S. et al. Trace Element Accumulation in Two Turtle Species, Malaclemys terrapin and Chelydra serpentina, in New Jersey, USA. Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 1844–1853 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02786-z

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