Abstract
AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 26:57-68 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00676 Population status of freshwater turtles across a PCB contamination gradient James P. Gibbs1,*, Shahrokh Rouhani2, Leyla Shams2 1Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, Illick Hall, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA 2NewFields, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA *Corresponding author: jpgibbs@esf.edu ABSTRACT: Remarkably few studies on the effects of PCBs on wild turtles have been conducted. We contrasted population-level parameters of 2 species of freshwater turtles, the snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina and the painted turtle Chrysemys picta, across a strong PCB concentration gradient in the upper Hudson River, New York State, USA. Our study employed standardized capture methods that yielded 465 turtles during 1968 trap-nights over 2 yr (2006 and 2007) at 246 trapping sites. Individuals of both turtle species were relatively heavier in a contaminated river segment, but PCB concentration did not otherwise influence relative abundance of turtles, probabilities of habitat occupancy or detection, sex or age ratios, body size, incidence of deformities, external parasite occurrence, or several movement parameters in a manner consistent with adverse impacts to wild turtles. This lack of spatial trend in parameters of wild populations of aquatic turtles across a strong gradient of PCB contamination contrasts with predictions of adverse impacts derived from population modeling, dose-response studies, and tissue residue analyses. KEY WORDS: PCB · Hudson River · Populations · Snapping turtle · Painted turtle Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Gibbs JP, Rouhani S, Shams L (2017) Population status of freshwater turtles across a PCB contamination gradient. Aquat Biol 26:57-68. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00676 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 26. Online publication date: May 15, 2017 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.
Highlights
The upper Hudson River in New York State, USA, was contaminated by the discharge of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from 2 electric capacitor plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls between the 1940s and 1977, after which further seepage and erosion of remnant deposits and contaminated banks continued to release PCBs (US EPA 2000)
Our study focused on 2 species of aquatic turtles, snapping turtles and painted turtles Chrysemys picta, because these were the best represented elements of the reptile community in the upper Hudson River and are frequent targets of toxicological studies (Bergeron et al 1994, Bell et al 2006), including in the Hudson River (Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees 2005, Kelly et al 2008, Eisenreich et al 2009, Salice et al 2014)
This study took advantage of the upper Hudson River as a site where PCB concentrations were among the highest reported in the US (Baker et al 2006) to examine whether PCB exposure could cause adverse, population-level impacts to wild turtles in a manner both substantive and additive to other anthropogenic impacts that typically confront reptiles in the environment (Gardner et al 2007)
Summary
The upper Hudson River in New York State, USA, was contaminated by the discharge of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from 2 electric capacitor plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls between the 1940s and 1977, after which further seepage and erosion of remnant deposits and contaminated banks continued to release PCBs (US EPA 2000). 80% reduction in egg hatching success in snapping turtles predicted to occur at 3.3 ppm (Eisenreich et al 2009), PCB levels observed in the contaminated segment of the river are considered to pose ‘risk’ to aquatic turtles (NOAA 2013). Dose-response studies provide an avenue of inquiry and indicate that PCBs can cause adverse impacts to individual turtles (e.g. Eisenreich et al 2009, Holliday et al 2009, Holliday & Holliday 2012, Yu et al 2012). Such studies can be advantageous for isolating the effect of exposure level to a particular contaminant on the performance of specific traits of individuals; implications of such studies of population-level endpoints remain unclear. Wild populations are the unit of biological organization most related to societal values
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
