Trace Element Concentrations in Blood and Scute Tissues from Wild and Captive Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Authors

Katherine R Shaw
Jennifer M Lynch
George H Balazs
T Todd Jones
Jeff Pawloski
Marc R Rice
Amanda D French
Jing Liu
George P Cobb
David M Klein

Language

English

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Journal

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

DOI

10.1002/etc.4911

PMID

33103806

PMCID

PMC8452040

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

9-20-2021

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Sea turtles are exposed to trace elements through water, sediment, and food. Exposure to these elements has been shown to decrease immune function, impair growth, and decrease reproductive output in wildlife. This study compares trace element concentrations in green turtles in captivity at Sea Life Park Hawaii (n = 6) to wild green turtles in Kapoho Bay, HI (n = 5 to 7). Blood and scute samples were collected and analyzed for eleven elements via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Selenium was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the blood of captive turtles compared to wild turtles, while V, Ni, and Pb were significantly greater in the blood of wild turtles. In scute, V, Cu, Se, and Cr were significantly greater in captive turtles, while As was significantly greater in wild turtles. Pelleted food fed to the captive turtles and representative samples of the wild turtle diet were analyzed via ICP-MS to calculate trophic transfer factors and daily intake values. Wild turtles had greater estimated daily intake than captive turtles for all elements except Cu and Se. Because captive turtles are fed a diet very different from their wild counterparts, captive turtles do not represent control or reference samples for chemical exposure studies in wild turtles. No toxic thresholds are known for sea turtles, but rehabilitation and managed care facilities should monitor sea turtle elemental concentrations to ensure the animals’ health.

Keywords

Animals, Animals, Wild, Hawaii, Selenium, Trace Elements, Turtles, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Marine turtle, reptile, aquarium, Hawaii, captive, heavy metals

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Shaw, Katherine R; Lynch, Jennifer M; Balazs, George H; et al., "Trace Element Concentrations in Blood and Scute Tissues from Wild and Captive Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas)" (2021). Faculty and Staff Publications. 1005.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/1005