Trace element bioaccumulation in the hepatic tissue of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) stranded along the Campos and Espírito Santo basins, southeastern Brazil

Eloá Corrêa Lessa Tostes; Luísa Maria de Souza Viana; Karoline Fernanda Ferreira Agostinho; Cibele Maria Stivanin de Almeida; Carlos Eduardo Veiga de Carvalho

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115447

Trace element bioaccumulation in the hepatic tissue of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) stranded along the Campos and Espírito Santo basins, southeastern Brazil

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Oct:195:115447. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115447. Epub 2023 Sep 15.

Authors

Eloá Corrêa Lessa Tostes¹, Luísa Maria de Souza Viana², Karoline Fernanda Ferreira Agostinho², Cibele Maria Stivanin de Almeida³, Carlos Eduardo Veiga de Carvalho²

Affiliations

¹ Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Laboratório de Ciências Químicas, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000 - Parque Califórnia -28013-602, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: eloacltostes@gmail.com.
² Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000 - Parque Califórnia -28013-602, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
³ Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Laboratório de Ciências Químicas, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000 - Parque Califórnia -28013-602, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PMID: 37716129
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115447

Abstract

This study analyzed the concentrations of 15 (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn) toxicologically important trace elements in the livers of 110 green turtles stranded in two areas of the Brazilian coast. These areas are essential for the refuge, feeding, and reproduction of the species, and the information obtained is intended to support the development of conservation strategies. Higher concentrations were observed in the Região dos Lagos, RJ in almost all elements, except for Al, Mo, Pb, and V. This location showed statistically higher differences in the concentrations of Cd (4.66 ± 2.33 μg.g^-1), Fe (846.62 ± 583.06 μg.g^-1), and Zn (27.17 ± 10.90 μg.g^-1). The differences in trace element concentration patterns between the two study areas are likely influenced by multiple factors, including the bioavailability of trace elements, oceanic upwelling events, anthropogenic activities, habitat characteristics, and organism-specific metabolic processes.

Keywords: Ecotoxicology; Green turtle; Liver tissue; Trace elements; Upwelling.