Metal Concentrations in the Liver and Stable Isotope Ratios of Carbon and Nitrogen in the Muscle of Silvertip Shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) Culled off Ishigaki Island, Japan: Changes with Growth

PLoS One. 2016 Feb 9;11(2):e0147797. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147797. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

We analyzed Hg, Cd, Zn, Cu and Fe concentrations in liver samples as well as the Hg concentration and stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen (δ13C and δ15N) in muscle samples from silvertip sharks (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) in Japan. Muscular and hepatic Hg concentrations increased with increased body length. However, these increases were more prominent in the liver than in the muscle samples, and appeared to occur after maturation. Hepatic Zn and Cu concentrations decreased during the growth stage, and then increased concomitantly thereafter with increases in Cd burden. Hepatic Fe concentration from males increased proportionally with increases in body length, whereas no increase was observed in samples from females, probably due to the mother-to-embryo transfer of Fe. The δ13C values tended to decrease with increases in body length, whereas no decrease in the δ15N values was observed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Body Weight
  • Carbon Isotopes / metabolism
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Female
  • Islands*
  • Japan
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Liver / growth & development
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Metals, Heavy / metabolism*
  • Mothers
  • Muscles / metabolism*
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / metabolism*
  • Organ Size
  • Sharks / embryology
  • Sharks / growth & development*
  • Sharks / metabolism*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / metabolism

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Metals, Heavy
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical

Grants and funding

This work was partially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (No. 24614012 O.K. and No. 26614012 Y.F.) and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (No. 25303011 K.H.) from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.