Mercury concentrations in wild mink (Mustela vison) and river otters (Lontra canadensis) collected from eastern and Atlantic Canada: relationship to age and parasitism.
Total mercury (Hg) concentrations were measured in the fur, brain and liver of wild mink (Mustela vison) and river otters (Lontra canadensis) collected from eastern and Atlantic Canada. Total Hg concentrations in fur were strongly correlated with levels in the brain and liver. There was no difference in tissue concentrations between male and female mink; however, female otters had significantly higher fur, brain and liver Hg levels than males. Similarly, there was not a significant relationship between Hg concentration and age of mink, whereas in otters, Hg concentrations in all three tissues decreased significantly with age. In both species, only a very small percentage of the variability in Hg concentration was explained by age. After adjusting the data for site-to-site differences in Hg levels, Hg concentrations in the fur of mink infected by the parasite, Dioctophyma renale, were found to be significantly higher than Hg levels in uninfected mink.
Klenavic
Katherine
K
Environmental and Resource Studies, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada.
Champoux
Louise
L
Mike
O'Brien
O
Daoust
Pierre-Y
PY
Evans
R Douglas
RD
Evans
Hayla E
HE
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002170:Canada; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D008907:Mink / Q000378:metabolism*; D010041:Otters / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D008628:Mercury