scholarly journals Heavy Metals in Biota in Delaware Bay, NJ: Developing a Food Web Approach to Contaminants

Toxics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Joanna Burger ◽  
Nellie Tsipoura ◽  
Larry Niles ◽  
Amanda Dey ◽  
Christian Jeitner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Striped Bass ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Sublethal Effect ◽  
Delaware Bay ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Cadmium Lead

Understanding the relationship between heavy metal and selenium levels in biota and their foods is important, but often difficult to determine because animals eat a variety of organisms. Yet such information is critical to managing species populations, ecological integrity, and risk to receptors (including humans) from consumption of certain prey. We examine levels of cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium in biota from Delaware Bay (New Jersey, USA) to begin construction of a “springtime” food web that focuses on shorebirds. Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs are one of the key components at the base of the food web, and crab spawning in spring provides a food resource supporting a massive stopover of shorebirds. Fish and other biota also forage on the crab eggs, and a complex food web leads directly to top-level predators such as bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis), both of which are consumed by egrets, eagles, ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), and humans. Metal levels in tissues were generally similar in algae, invertebrates, and small fish, and these were similar to those in blood of shorebirds (but not feathers). There was a significant direct relationship between the levels of metals in eggs of horseshoe crabs and mean metal levels in the blood of four species of shorebirds. Metal levels in shorebird feathers were higher than those in blood (except for selenium), reflecting sequestration of metals in feathers during their formation. Levels in feathers of laughing gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla) were similar to those in feathers of shorebirds (except for selenium). Selenium bears special mention as levels were significantly higher in the blood of all shorebird species than in other species in the food web, and were similar to levels in their feathers. Levels of metals in bluefish and striped bass were similar or higher than those found in the blood of shorebirds (except for selenium). The mean levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury in the blood and feathers of shorebirds were below any effect levels, but selenium levels in the blood and feathers of shorebirds were higher than the sublethal effect levels for birds. This is a cause for concern, and warrants further examination.

Comparative energetics and the development of bioenergetics models for sympatric estuarine piscivores

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1647-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle J. Hartman ◽  
Stephen B. Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Consumption Rate ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Potential Growth ◽  
Growth Physiology ◽  
Independent Model ◽  
Bioenergetics Models

Bioenergetics models for striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) were developed from laboratory experiments on metabolism and consumption. Size-specific rates of consumption and metabolism were similar for bluefish and weakfish and higher than those for striped bass. Temperature effects on maximum consumption rate (Cmax) differed with fish size. Cmax of young fish (30 g) increased with temperature, then declined rapidly at higher temperatures; Cmax for larger fish of all three species (100–3000 g) increased rapidly to the maximum rate, but leveled off at higher (25–30 °C) temperatures. Results of Cmax experiments suggest that extrapolation of the temperature dependency of small fish to larger fish, as is commonly done, may misrepresent potential growth at higher temperatures. Independent model validation using laboratory experiments found consumption estimates (from growth) to be within −1.4 to +4.5% of known values for all species at temperatures above 19 °C; however, at 6.9°C consumption by striped bass was overestimated by 20–46%. Model estimates of growth (from consumption) were within −7.1 to +30.1% of known values in all validations. Overall, the growth physiology of the three species appeared to be related to the water temperatures encountered during estuarine residency and production.

Optimal prey size for stream resident brown trout (Salmo trutta): tests of predictive models

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 704-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen Bannon ◽  
Neil H. Ringler
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Minimum Size ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Order Stream ◽  
Mouth Size ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta

The time required to handle different-sized prey (crickets) was measured in an artificial stream for eight wild brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in two size classes (mean total lengths, 186 and 214 mm). Handling times (HTs) scaled by mouth size were described by an exponential equation: HT = 1 + 0.84e2.35(ps/ms) (ps, prey size; ms, predator (mouth) size). Cost curves based on handling time/prey weight were used to predict optimal prey lengths of 22 mm for small trout and 24 mm for large trout. A second model based on J. W. J. Wankowski's empirical results predicted slightly smaller optima. Physical constraints provided estimated minimum prey lengths of 2.8 and 3.2 mm for large and small fish, respectively; maximum prey lengths were 89 and 97 mm, respectively. We compared the predicted optimal prey size with the size distribution of invertebrates in drift and brown trout stomachs sampled in a second-order stream from July to September 1982. The most abundant prey sizes in the study stream were near the minimum size that can be effectively handled by brown trout. Prey of the predicted optimum size were rare, but feeding was size selective in spite of a limited food resource. The growth rates of these stream-dwelling brown trout were slower than the brown trout in other streams in this region. This may reflect diets consisting largely of suboptimal-sized prey.

scholarly journals New genus of the tribe Ceutorhynchini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from the late Oligocene of Enspel, southwestern Germany, with a remark on the role of weevils in the ancient food web

Fossil Record ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-204
Author(s):  
Andrei A. Legalov ◽  
Markus J. Poschmann
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Anterior Margin ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Cyprinid Fish ◽  
Late Oligocene ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Ancient Food

Abstract. The new weevil genus Igneonasus gen. nov. (type species: I. rudolphi sp. nov.) of the tribe Ceutorhynchini (Curculionidae: Conoderinae: Ceutorhynchitae) is described from the late Oligocene of Fossillagerstätte Enspel, Germany. The new genus differs from the similar genus Stenocarus Thomson, 1859 in the anterior margin of the pronotum, which is not raised, a pronotum without tubercles on the sides, and a femur without teeth. This weevil is the largest representative of this supertribe and the first fossil Curculionidae species described from the paleolake Enspel. In this ancient ecosystem, weevils were at least sometimes an important food resource for the cyprinid fish Palaeorutilus enspelensis.

scholarly journals Heavy Metal Levels in Milk and Cheese Produced in the Kvemo Kartli Region, Georgia

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2234
Author(s):  
Rami Al Al Sidawi ◽  
Giorgi Ghambashidze ◽  
Teo Urushadze ◽  
Angelika Ploeger
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Heavy Metal Contamination ◽  
Permissible Limit ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Permissible Limits ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Permissible Levels ◽  
Cadmium Lead ◽  
The Eu

Milk and dairy products are among the most important food sectors in Georgia, and milk is considered one of the most essential foods in the human diet according to Georgian food culture. Kvemo Kartli is one of the major regions in Georgia for milk production. This region suffers from heavy metal contamination in soil and water because of the mining industry. This study was conducted to determine the concentrations of cadmium, lead, iron, zinc, copper, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, selenium and molybdenum in milk and cheese and to evaluate whether the concentrations of these elements correspond to the permissible levels of toxic elements in milk and cheese for Georgia and the EU. In total, 195 milk samples and 25 cheese samples (16 from Imeruli cheese and nine from Sulguni cheese) were collected from nine different villages in the Kvemo Kartli region in Georgia: Chapala, Vanati, Bolnisi, Mtskneti, Sabereti, Ratevani, Khidiskuri, Kazreti, Kvemo Bolnisi. The determination of heavy metal in all samples was carried out by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The research results show that the concentration of these elements in most milk samples is fairly constant for all villages and is less than the permissible levels, except for seven samples from the following villages: Kvemo Bolnisi, Bolnisi, Mitskineti and Ratawani, where the concentration of lead in the milk samples was higher than the permissible limits mentioned in the literature, ranging from 0.027 to 1003 mg L−1. As for copper, its concentration in milk in Sabereti and Vanati villages was above the permissible limits according to the EU limit, ranging from 0.42 to 1.28 mg L−1. For cheese samples, the concentration of cadmium, lead, copper, Co and Ni in the two types of cheese was less than the permissible limit according to the laws of Georgia. Finally, the heavy metal concentrations in Imeruli and Sulguni cheese for manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo) zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) were above the permissible limit. Thus, the study results showed that the consumption of milk does not pose a direct and serious threat to the health of consumers. As for the two types of cheese, future studies and continuous monitoring are necessary to assess the cheese content of trace elements and the risk of its consumption to the consumer.

scholarly journals Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury Exposure Assessment Among Croatian Consumers of Free-Living Game

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Lazarus ◽  
Andreja Prevendar Crnić ◽  
Nina Bilandžić ◽  
Josip Kusak ◽  
Slaven Reljić
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Exposure Assessment ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Monthly Basis ◽  
Game Meat ◽  
Tolerable Weekly Intake ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Cadmium Lead ◽  
Dietary Cadmium

AbstractFree-living game can be an important source of dietary cadmium and lead; the question is whether exposure to these two elements is such that it might cause adverse health effects in the consumers. The aim of this study was to estimate dietary exposure to cadmium, lead, and mercury from free-living big game (fallow deer, roe deer, red deer, wild boar, and brown bear), and to mercury from small game (pheasant and hare), hunted in Croatia from 1990 to 2012. The exposure assessment was based on available literature data and our own measurements of metal levels in the tissues of the game, by taking into account different consumption frequencies (four times a year, once a month and once a week). Exposure was expressed as percentage of (provisional) tolerable weekly intake [(P)TWI] values set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Consumption of game meat (0.002-0.5 % PTWI) and liver (0.005-6 % PTWI) assumed for the general population (four times a year) does not pose a health risk to consumers from the general population, nor does monthly (0.02-6 % PTWI) and weekly (0.1-24 % PTWI) consumption of game meat. However, because of the high percentage of free-living game liver and kidney samples exceeding the legislative limits for cadmium (2-99 %) and lead (1-82 %), people should keep the consumption of certain game species’ offal as low as possible. Children and pregnant and lactating women should avoid eating game offal altogether. Free-living game liver could be an important source of cadmium if consumed on a monthly basis (3-74 % TWI), and if consumed weekly (11-297 % TWI), it could even give rise to toxicological concern.

Swimming Energetics of Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) and Bluefish (Pomatomus Saltatrix): Hydrodynamic Correlates of Locomotion and Gill Ventilation

1981 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. FREADMAN
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Boundary Layer Separation ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Separation Flow ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Transition Range ◽  
Acceleration Amplitude ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Gill Ventilation ◽  
The Cost

1. Swimming patterns of striped bass and bluefish were monitored using a miniature accelerometer to record instantaneous acceleration and instantaneous deceleration during tail-thrusts over a wide range of swimming speeds. In addition, ventilatory excurrent flow patterns were visualized in swimming striped bass by injecting milk via a buccal catheter. 2. Both species accomplish steady swimming with both symmetric and asymmetric thrusts; other transient swimming patterns were observed as well. 3. Over the transition range from active branchial to ram gill ventilation, no measurable change in forward acceleration amplitude occurred with adoption of ram gill flow in both species; this can only occur if drag does not change over the ventilatory transition. 4. From metabolic measurements and from implications about swimming drag deduced from acceleration amplitude, the cost of active ventilation just prior to adoption of ram gill ventilation was estimated to be 8·1% and 8·4% of total metabolism for striped bass and bluefish respectively. 5. Ventilatory effluent flow patterns during cyclic ventilation in swimming striped bass induce substantial turbulence and probably boundary layer separation. Flow patterns during ram ventilation result in streamlined flow over most of the length of the fish. 6. The results show that transfer from active to branchial to ram gill ventilation provides important hydrodynamic advantages to these fishes at cruising velocities.

Few heavy metal levels in certain tissues of cattle in Burdur of Turkey

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Kocasari ◽  
Ozen Kursun Yurdakul ◽  
Asim Kart ◽  
Halil Yalcin ◽  
Erhan Keyvan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Optical Emission ◽  
Emission Spectrometry ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Permissible Limits ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Liver And Kidney ◽  
Cadmium Lead

In the present study, the occurrence of some heavy metals was determined in muscle, liver and kidney tissues of cattle in Burdur, Turkey. The samples were analyzed for cadmium, lead, arsenics and mercury using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry in 50 samples. Concentrations of Cd exceed the permissible limits in 2 samples of muscle tissues (0.05 mg/kg), while the concentrations of Cd in the liver and kidney tissues were below the allowed limits (0.5 mg/kg for liver; 1.0 mg/kg for kidney). One sample in muscle tissue contained Pb above the allowed limit (0.1 mg/kg). Arsenic was detected in one sample of muscle, liver and kidney tissues. Hg was not detected in any of the samples. A high proportion of samples did not contain detectable level of the heavy metals. Except for Cd and Pb in muscle tissue, concentrations of other metals were below the permissible limits.

Habitat characteristics of the Japanese water shrew, Chimarrogale platycephalus

Mammalia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-259
Author(s):  
Masahiro A. Iwasa
Keyword(s):  
Generalized Linear Model ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Fish Farms ◽  
Additional Food ◽  
European Water ◽  
Japanese Water ◽  
Objective Variable ◽  
Neomys Fodiens

Abstract To determine the habitat characteristics of the Japanese water shrew, Chimarrogale platycephalus, seven stream parameters were studied along five streams. The shrew occurred along three of those streams. To evaluate the stream parameters related to water shrew occurrence as an objective variable, a generalized linear model analysis of the five streams was performed. The results indicated that current velocity was the most important parameter in shrew occurrence at p<0.001. The present findings are similar to those for the European water shrew, Neomys fodiens. The number of invertebrates as availability of food resources, however, was not a significant parameter influencing shrew occurrence. Along the banks of the two streams inhabited by C. platycephalus, there are artificially managed leisure fishing sites, and small fish farms have released fish regularly into the streams to stock up fishing resources. Such management of leisure fishing may provide the water shrews with fish as an additional food resource and possibly contribute to the occurrence of C. platycephalus.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document