Total mercury in wild felids occurring in protected areas in the central Brazilian Amazon

João Paulo Machado TORRES,Joana MACEDO,Gabriel Oliveira de CARVALHO,Olaf MALM,Adan Santos LINO,Marcelly Castello Branco LOPES,Daniele KASPER,Rodrigo Ornellas MEIRE,Emiliano Esterci RAMALHO,Robson Roney BERNARDO

doi:10.1590/1809-4392201903331

Abstract

ABSTRACT This is the first study to investigate mercury (Hg) contamination in felid species in the Brazilian Amazon. We collected 26 fur samples from wild felids of four species (Puma concolor, Panthera onca, Leopardus pardalis and Leopardus wiedii) occurring in the Mamirauá and Amanã sustainable development reserves, in the state of Amazonas. Samples were from museum specimens, except for five P. onca samples collected from free-living individuals. Total Hg concentrations ranged from 0.12 to 48.1 µg g-1. Concentrations of Hg did not differ significantly between museum specimens and live individuals of P. onca, but varied significantly among species, with significantly higher concentrations for P. onca and L. pardalis, which could be related to factors such as diet and habitat.

Highlights

Several toxic effects of mercury (Hg), a naturally occurring element, have been described in terrestrial and aquatic species over the last 50 years (e.g., Hoffman 2003; Wren 1986; Borg et al 1969; Burgess et al 2005; Burgess and Meyer 2008; Dietz et al 2006; Krey et al 2015)
The aim of this study was to investigate the concentration of total mercury (THg) in fur samples from four felid species occurring in two sustainable development reserves in the mid Solimões River basin, in the central Brazilian Amazon, to provide background Hg concentrations for felids living in a non-impacted environment
THg concentrations differed significantly among species (KW = 7.00; p = 0.03), and the pairwise comparisons indicated that P. onca and L. pardalis had significantly higher concentrations P. concolor (p = 0.01)

Summary

Introduction

Several toxic effects of mercury (Hg), a naturally occurring element, have been described in terrestrial and aquatic species over the last 50 years (e.g., Hoffman 2003; Wren 1986; Borg et al 1969; Burgess et al 2005; Burgess and Meyer 2008; Dietz et al 2006; Krey et al 2015). Hazardous effects of Hg have been described on the central nervous system, DNA molecular structure, reproductive, cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems (Wolfe et al 1998; Scheuhammer et al 2007; Rice et al 2014). Total mercury in wild felids occurring in protected areas in the central Brazilian Amazon.

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Conclusion